AI camera mistakes referee’s bald head for ball, follows it through the match
Owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Inverness club had announced its decision to refrain from using human camera operators and instead rely on an automated camera system to follow the action.
In a bizarre incident at a soccer game in Scotland, an artificial intelligence (AI) camera continuously tracked a bald referee mistaking it for the ball. A video of the hilarious gaffe is now going viral, leaving netizens amused online.
The unprecedented event, which occurred during a match between Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Ayr United hosted in Inverness in the distant Scottish Highlands at the Caledonian Stadium, has got everyone talking online on how technology once again intercepted the match in the wrong way. The commentator had to repeatedly apologize as the camera kept on mistaking the ball for the linesman’s head.
Owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Inverness club had announced its decision to refrain from using human camera operators and instead rely on an automated camera system to follow the action. However, the AI camera couldn’t differentiate between the ball and the bald head of the linesman, with the referee’s head glistening in the glorious Scottish sun in the late afternoon.
As center-forward Nikola Todorov scored the team’s first goal, Thick Accent reported, “The camera kept on mistaking the ball for the bald head on the sidelines, denying viewers of the real action while focusing on the linesman instead”.
The club had proudly announced earlier that the new “Pixellot system uses cameras with in-built, AI, ball-tracking technology” and would be used to capture HD footage of all home matches at Caledonian Stadium, which would be broadcast directly to season-ticket holders’ homes. Alas, things didn’t go as plan.
Netizens on social media had a blast poking fun at the hilarious turn of events.
Although the match ended a 1-1 draw, more than the team’s effort, it was the gaffe that stole all the attention online. As many started to tag the camera company to complain and demand answers, a spokesperson in a tweet said: “We are aware of the issue with linesman and we are already working on improving this for the next game. We hope that this will not happen again and that your viewing experience will be better. Thank you.”
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