MLB effectively outlaws use of AI on dugout iPads during games
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AI has just been removed from the game.
Major League Baseball has effectively banned the use of iPads to access AI tools during games and the use of AI to shape in-game strategy.
According to a commissioner’s office memo obtained by Fox News Digital, teams were installing custom apps that pushed the boundaries of technology guidelines as iPads were used “beyond their originally intended purpose to include advice on substitutions, field calling and other in-game decisions traditionally made by players and coaches.”
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An iPad sits on the bench during an MLB game between the Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium on May 21, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Icon Sportswire via Brian Rothmuller/Getty Images)
The league memo regarding AI and iPads was released on June 11, and the ban went into full effect Wednesday before teams resumed play following the All-Star break. A third of the league was using iPads for reasons beyond their intended use. athletics report.
The league’s review of technology use found that no team violated MLB’s rules regarding sign stealing and electronic device use.
“Now I have to stop the cheating before it happens,” one front office executive told The Athletic.
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Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge look at the iPad during a game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on May 24, 2026 in the Bronx, New York. (Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
MLB-issued iPads feature three tabs: The first contains Statcast data and multiple video angles provided by MLB, the second contains data related to the automatic ball striking (ABS) system, and the third is a special tab where teams install apps. This third tab is now banned by the league.
Rules have been implemented to reduce the amount of live information sent to iPads. In-game video is only available in case of delay, and rules preventing off-field personnel from entering the dugout are posted in all clubhouses.
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Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers checks an iPad in the dugout during the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium on May 10, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
It’s unknown exactly how many teams are using iPads with live, in-game information, but the league’s decision to suspend the use of AI ensures that humans are now making all the decisions.
The Athletic was the first to report on the limitations of AI on iPads.
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