Two students dressed as line judges have staged a protest outside Wimbledon to challenge the tournament's decision to replace human officials with artificial intelligence. Gabriel Paul, 26, from Battersea, and Harry Robson, 27, from Marlow, stood outside the All England Club in south-west London holding placards reading "AI took my job" and "Don't sideline humans".
The men, who are graduating this summer, said they wanted to highlight the wider impact of AI on employment and the role of people in sport. "We're students - we're graduating in three months and worrying about the whole jobs market," Paul told PA news agency.
Students defend sporting drama
Paul emphasised the role line judges have played in tennis history, citing John McEnroe's famous outburst in 1981. "There are so many moments from Wimbledon that line judges have been an essential part of - like the John McEnroe 'You cannot be serious' moment," he said.
"Countless other times too - the controversy, the drama. That's what sport is about. Sport isn't just about clinical accuracy - it's about the human story. We've spoken to a few judges who are really backing the cause," Paul added.
Accuracy versus human element
Robson argued that pure precision should not be the sole consideration in sport. "If accuracy was the most important thing, we'd just get robots playing the sport," he said. "This is about keeping people in the game."
This marks the first year in Wimbledon's 148-year history that all line calls are being made by Hawk-Eye Live, an automated electronic system. Line judge staff have been completely removed from court, with organisers citing a drive for "maximum accuracy" for the move which brings Wimbledon into line with most other tournaments.
McEnroe's legendary moment
A match umpire still sits in the chair and uniformed ball boys and girls continue to retrieve stray balls. The most famous controversy over line calls at Wimbledon involved American champion John McEnroe in 1981 during a first-round match against Tom Gullikson.
McEnroe's serve on the centre line was met by an outstretched arm from the line judge. The umpire Edward James affirmed it was out, leading McEnroe to exclaim: "You cannot be serious. That ball was on the line. Chalk flew up."
Staff show support
Paul said Wimbledon staff had reacted positively to the protest, suggesting they may fear their jobs will be the next to go. "They don't seem to mind - they seem to be pretty friendly," he said.
"There's been a lot of cheering for us from the stewards, which is quite funny," Paul added.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
