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AI has just been ejected from the game.
Major League Baseball effectively outlawed the practice of using iPads during games to access artificial intelligence tools, and use of AI to shape in-game strategy.
Teams were installing custom apps that pushed the boundaries of the technology guidelines, as the iPads were being used “beyond their originally intended purpose to include recommendations regarding substitutions, pitch calling, and other in-game decisions traditionally made by players and coaches,” according to a commissioner’s office memo obtained by Digital.
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An iPad sits in the dugout during an MLB game between the Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., on May 21, 2026. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The league memo about AI and the iPads was issued on June 11, with the ban fully going into effect on Wednesday before teams resumed play following the All-Star break. As many as one-third of the league was using the iPads for reasons beyond its intended use, according to The Athletic’s report.
The league’s review of the use of technology found that no teams broke the MLB’s rules governing sign stealing and electronic-device usage.
“Gotta stop the cheating before there’s cheating now,” one front office executive told The Athletic.
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Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge look at an iPad during a game between the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y., on May 24, 2026. (Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
On MLB-issued iPads, there are three tabs: The first contains MLB-provided Statcast data and multiple video angles, the second contains data related to the automated ball-strike (ABS) system, and the third was a custom tab where teams installed apps. That third tab is now prohibited by the league.
Rules have been implemented to try and reduce the amount of live information going into iPads. In-game video is only available on a delay, and rules are posted in all clubhouses that prevent non-field personnel from entering the dugout.
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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 in Los Angeles, Calif., on May 10, 2026. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
It is not known exactly how many teams used the iPads with live, in-game information, but the league’s decision to suspend the use of artificial intelligence now ensures it is humans who are calling all of the shots.
The Athletic was the first to report about the restrictions of AI on the iPads.
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