AI transforms MLB’s World Series with real-time insights and broadcast protection

Major League Baseball is leveraging artificial intelligence to transform how fans experience the 2025 World Series, with AI powering everything from real-time broadcast commentary to technical production oversight. The technology represents a significant shift in sports broadcasting, as networks deploy sophisticated AI systems to deliver faster insights and prevent technical disruptions during baseball’s most watched games.

What you should know: FOX Sports has deployed an AI platform called FOX Foresight to enhance live World Series coverage in real-time.

• Built in collaboration with Google Cloud using Vertex AI infrastructure, the system is trained on multiple seasons of MLB data to generate specific statistical queries and contextual insights instantly.
• Rather than spending valuable minutes searching for historical data during critical moments, producers and analysts can access relevant information in seconds, allowing commentators to deliver deeper, more timely analysis.

Behind the scenes: The Connie system (Connectivity Agent) serves as an AI guardian for the complex World Series broadcast infrastructure.

• Connie monitors data feeds, connectivity links, live camera networks, and streaming pipelines that deliver games to fans across multiple platforms and countries.
• The system can detect anomalies in real time and take preemptive corrective action to avoid disruptions—a crucial capability given the complexity of broadcasting with multiple cameras, trucks, international feeds, and simultaneous streaming platforms.

The current series: The 2025 World Series features the Los Angeles Dodgers versus the Toronto Blue Jays, with Toronto holding a 3-2 series lead.

• The Blue Jays are one win away from securing their first title since 1993, with Game 6 returning to Toronto.
• Game 3 delivered a memorable 18-inning marathon that ended with a walk-off home run by Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, tying the record for longest World Series game by innings.

What’s coming next: Beginning in 2026, MLB will introduce an Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system powered by AI and 12 cameras.

• Teams will receive two challenges per game (with extras in extra innings) to contest balls and strikes, initiated by the pitcher, catcher, or hitter with a simple head tap.
• In testing, the ABS challenge system achieved a 52% success rate, with catchers proving most accurate in their challenges.
• The system aims to increase accuracy and reduce ejections, as more than 60% of ejections stem from ball-strike disputes.

Why this matters: The 2025 World Series serves as a proving ground for AI’s expanding role in professional sports, demonstrating how artificial intelligence can enhance both the viewer experience and operational efficiency without disrupting baseball’s traditional appeal.