MLB Restricts iPad Usage in Dugouts to Block AI-Assisted Decision Tools
MLB restricts iPad usage in dugouts by disabling team-custom tabs at midseason to prevent AI-assisted recommendations for substitutions, pitch calling and in-game choices.
Major League Baseball has moved to curb the use of third-party programs on dugout iPads, disabling a custom tab that teams used to access outside applications and data that could generate recommendations for in-game choices. The change, described in a June 11 memo to club executives, was implemented beginning Wednesday night as teams returned for the second half of the season, and is intended to prevent artificial intelligence from influencing substitutions, pitch selection and other managerial decisions.
League memo and rationale
The memo, distributed to general managers, assistant general managers and video coordinators, said the custom tab expanded the dugout iPads’ use beyond their original purpose. MLB executive vice president of baseball operations Morgan Sword told clubs that some teams had used the custom tab to run programs offering recommendations on substitutions, pitch calling and other decisions traditionally made by players and coaches.
League officials framed the step as a safeguard for competitive integrity, saying it closed a pathway for automated or algorithmic tools to enter the decision loop during games. The memo made clear the prohibition was effective when the second half began in order to give teams time to adapt their workflows.
What the change does on the field
Practically, the move removes access to team-installed applications from the dugout iPads while preserving league-provided video and data feeds. Teams will still receive the video streams and statistical information supplied by MLB, but they will not be able to invoke the custom tab from inside the dugout to run third-party analytics or automated recommendation engines.
MLB stressed the intent is not to eliminate data in the dugout but to keep real-time decision-making in human hands. By closing the custom-tab avenue, the league seeks to ensure coaches and players continue to rely on traditional judgement and internal communication for in-game calls.
League review and compliance findings
A review by MLB’s competition committee concluded that clubs had been compliant with existing regulations prior to the change, according to the memo. That finding suggests teams were not flagrantly violating prior rules, but the committee determined a formal prohibition was needed to address the new risks posed by rapidly improving analytic tools.
League officials described the timing as deliberate. Instituting the prohibition at midseason was intended to provide teams that had integrated the custom tab into their dugout routines with a clear transition period to revise how they use tablet data without disrupting play.
History of dugout iPads and policy shifts
Dugout iPads have been part of Major League Baseball operations since a pilot program late in the 2015 season, and the devices were rolled out leaguewide in 2016 through a partnership with Apple. Initially limited in function, the tablets gradually became a point of policy attention as clubs found new ways to use them.
In 2020, MLB removed live video access from dugout devices amid heightened scrutiny after the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal, then restored video access a year later as protocols and safeguards were revised. The latest restriction represents the league’s continuing effort to balance technological utility with fair-play concerns.
Implications for teams and coaching staffs
Teams that had built workflows around custom-tab tools will need to rework their dugout processes and communications. Clubs that used the tab to quickly surface matchups, lineup suggestions or pitch plans must now ensure those functions are handled off-field or through permitted league resources.
Coaching staffs said privately in recent seasons that the tablets could speed information flow and sharpen in-game adjustments, but league officials worried that increasingly sophisticated software and machine-learning models could cross a line into automated decision-making. The prohibition aims to preserve the coach-and-player dynamic that governs tactical choices during games.
Potential enforcement and future guidance
MLB’s memo signals tighter scrutiny of device usage but stops short of detailing penalties for violations, relying instead on the competition committee’s review and existing compliance mechanisms. The league indicated it will continue monitoring how teams use permitted data feeds and may issue further guidance if new technologies present fresh risks to competitive balance.
Clubs are expected to consult with MLB on acceptable configurations and to adapt their internal policies for video coordinators and analytics staffs to ensure all dugout activity aligns with the updated rule set.
The league’s action underscores a growing tension across professional sports between harnessing analytics and protecting the human elements of competition, and it highlights how governing bodies are wrestling with the implications of artificial intelligence in high-stakes, real-time environments.
