MLB is weird because everything needed to ref a baseball game does not need any advanced AI. MLB simply refuses to let robots ref games.
I'm sceptical. An AI that could view the whole playing field at all time and instantly spot and call every rule infraction with 100% accuracy would pretty much ruin any game. Knowing when to ignore an insignificant rules infraction in favour of letting the game flow is part of being a good ref. Plus, as a player, trying to get away with some sneaky bullshit when the ref isn't paying attention is part of the game.
If anything, I think that refs need to be enforced more to call games a particular way. The officiating that occurs during the playoffs is much better, and IMO should be done that way during the whole season rather than only the playoffs. Refs let defenders be more physical, they call more rule violations, etc.
I'd fear that an AI ref could possibly lead to even more fouls being called, since a ref could miss things depending on where they are in the floor. More fouls being called would just slow down the game.
I want the split second decision. It used to be that the ball would go into the net, you'd glance over at the linesman, see his flag down by his side, the ref indicates for a goal, the fans lose their minds. It would all happen in a second or two, now we have 4 minutes of video pedantry following every goal.
This idea that soccer is a 'flowing' game with minimal stoppages is very important to fans.
Ideally AI and goal line technology should solve this. If the computer knows where the ball and all the players are at all time, then checking if the ball crosses the line or if anybody was offside leading up to the goal should be instant.
Even offside has subjectivity, something we only discovered after we implemented video review. Could you accurately tell which pixel of shirt sleeve is an attacker's arm and which is shoulder? (Your arm can be offside because you can't legally score with it, shoulder vice versa)
We already have goal line technology for the ball crossing the line, it's totally instant, the ref has a device on his wrist which vibrates.
It does today, but the whole point of the AI would be to remove that subjectivity. Offside would be whatever the AI said is offside. Not saying this would necessarily be a good thing for the game, but it would remove the slow video review process and let referees instantly call goal/no goal.
We tried it, it was shit, we lost the most important part of the game for fans (celebrating goals, of which soccer has few), let's go back.