NFL reveals technology will never replace refs despite controversial Bills-Chiefs first-down call

The NFL is trialing a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence system to improve the accuracy of first-down calls.

Sony’s Hawk-Eye is being hailed as a potential savior by fans who are tired of potentially decisive decisions being made by a chain-gang.

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The Buffalo Bills were denied a huge first down[/caption]

Josh Allen was denied a huge fourth-down conversion despite appearing to make up enough ground as the Buffalo Bills were beaten by the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship.

The call led to a furious response, with many joining Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy – who bet a million dollars on the Bills to win the Super Bowl – in calling for a boycott of the season finale.

AI technology, which has been deployed in a number of sports including tennis and soccer, has been hailed as the answer.

But the latest update from NFL bosses could be a major concern for people hoping that referees judging where a play has ended was a thing of the past.

NFL exec Kimberly Fields confirmed to the Associated Press on Friday that the AI system will always be limited in its scope.

“What this technology cannot do is take the place of the human element in determining where forward progress ends,” she said.

“There will always be a human official spotting the ball. Once the ball is spotted, then the line-to-gain technology actually does the measurement itself.

“So I think it’s probably been a point of confusion around what the technology can and can’t do.

“There will always be a human element because of the forward progress conversation.”

The NFL experimented with Hawk-Eye during preseason action last year.

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Allen has lost four times to Patrick Mahomes in the postseason[/caption]

AI pieces together every angle possible from up to 60 cameras to create an 8k resolution image of every play.

It is capable of tracking the ball on every down to help judge if teams have moved it far enough.

“We did a lot of due diligence with the NFL to make sure that we’ve chosen the right cameras and the right placement of the cameras to make sure that our accuracy was where it needed to be,” said Dan Cash, managing director of Sony’s Hawk-Eye.

NFL Deputy Chief Information Officer Aaron Amendolia said Hawk-Eye will help the game go by faster by eliminating the need to bring out the chain every time a spot is close.

“We’re going to get much more accurate on what we’re showing as far as measurements, but we’re also going to have a faster-moving game,” Amendolia said.

“We need to have the right results and when we do, we’ll scale it up and out.”

TV companies think the technology could help provide a better viewing experience.

“As attention spans become shorter and people have more distractions in life, the quicker you can get things done and get to a final answer. I think it’s better for the broadcast and it’s better for the audience,” said Fred Gaudelli – the executive producer of ‘NFL on NBC.’

The Philadelphia Eagles, who play the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, also benefitted from a lack of technology in the postseason.

Green Bay Packers returner Keisean Nixon was ruled to have fumbled while running back the opening kickoff but replays appeared to show he had recovered it himself.

Fans were able to watch the scrum from the SkyCam but the officials on replay review did not have access to the crucial angle.

The Eagles went 7-0 up just three plays later and never gave up the lead.

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