ShotAI, “Less Arguing, More Playing: AI Referees Transform the Court"

- ShotAi is developing an AI-powered referee system for tennis courts that uses real-time camera footage and computer vision to make accurate line calls, detect foot faults, and provide instant replays, aiming to reduce disputes and enhance the playing experience.
- The solution also offers integrated management tools for court operators, including reservations, payments, and league operations, which have been shown to significantly increase court utilization and revenue.
- ShotAi plans to expand its platform to other sports and regions, ultimately aiming to become a comprehensive sports-tech operating system that automates operations and enables global competition.


More than half of South Korea's racket sports facilities sit empty during weekday daytime and evening hours. Because most operators rely heavily on lessons and facility rentals, fixed revenue remains limited while operating costs mount. Even when tournaments are held, entry fees typically go to the organizers, becoming "blind money" that the facility owners never see.

ShotAi has announced plans to launch a service late this year or early next year to address these systemic issues. By utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI), the company aims to reduce tennis line-call disputes while significantly boosting the efficiency of court and league operations.

Minimizing Disputes and Enhancing Immersion via Fair Judging and Replays

The solution currently under development by ShotAi analyzes real-time footage from cameras installed on the tennis court. It provides automated "In/Out" calls, foot fault detection, instant replays, and a "claim" function to report unsportsmanlike conduct.

Using computer vision technology based on 4K resolution at 60 frames per second (fps), the system precisely tracks the ball’s trajectory and landing spot. This method is designed to reduce misjudgments and disputes that frequently occur with human referees or in "self-call" matches. Suspicious situations can be re-verified through replays, increasing trust and mitigating emotional conflict between players.

The system also facilitates match operations using the same "best-of-three sets" (full match) rules used by pros. This allows tournaments to proceed without on-site referees or separate operational staff, enabling athletes to focus entirely on the game. After the match, the system automatically generates highlight reels and analysis reports, providing feedback based on statistics such as speed, rally counts, and winning shot locations.

Because the system applies uniform rules and produces objective data, it opens the door for global ranking competition. ShotAi plans to allow players to compare rankings with counterparts in Japan, Europe, and Australia based on match data generated at local courts. National winners may even be eligible to participate in special leagues hosted by invitation, with travel and accommodation provided.

Challenge system and analysis data used in professional tennis matches / Source: ATP Homepage

AI Referee Solution under development by ShotAi / Source=ShotAi

ShotAi has configured the solution with two cameras per court and is preparing a service that allows for remote delivery and ordering. The cameras capture the entire court to minimize blind spots, and the setup is designed to be installed within approximately 30 minutes via standard electrical or internet connections, followed by automatic calibration. The company added that after installation, it supports continuous performance optimization through remote and automated AI model updates.

ShotAi also plans to add a video-based posture analysis function to the solution. The company emphasized its goal of raising AI judgment accuracy to approximately 99% based on its own verification standards.

Providing Utility to Court Operators, Not Just Players

ShotAi aims to provide utility beyond simple AI refereeing, targeting tennis court operators as key beneficiaries. The goal is to help operators manage court reservations, payments, and league operations on a single integrated platform, supporting credit cards, simple payments, and subscription models.

According to ShotAi’s internal research, facilities adopting the solution saw court utilization rates surge from 40% to over 90%, with operators securing an additional 1 million to 3 million KRW in monthly revenue. The company also noted cases where investment costs were recovered within one month.

ShotAi emphasized plans to share profits from its own weekly leagues with tennis court operators (suggesting a level of 1~3 million KRW per court per month). The company is preparing supplementary policies such as increased revenue-sharing rates if initial sales are delayed, internal promotions, and the design of daily/weekly tournaments to fill vacancies during off-peak seasons. Additionally, they are preparing to provide return-visit rate metrics.

Furthermore, ShotAi stressed its intention to induce maintenance cost reductions through facility management based on camera and AI monitoring, alongside the digital transformation of manual tasks like hand-written registrations and on-site ticketing via an integrated reservation, payment, and dashboard system.

ShotAi: “Expanding Beyond Court Solutions to a ‘Sports Operating OS’”

After launching its court solution, ShotAi plans to expand into a broader sports-tech platform.

Moving beyond a simple "unmanned referee," the company intends to expand the solution into a Sports Operating OS that encompasses reservations, payments, league operations, dashboards, and analysis reports. It also added plans to adopt an AI and Cloud-based SaaS (Software as a Service) structure for operational automation.

ShotAi aims to expand its technology application from tennis to pickleball and badminton, and is pushing to secure a global league network connecting 11 countries, including South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Europe, the U.S., and Australia. Based on this, the company has laid out a blueprint to leap forward as a sports-tech platform by deriving revenue models such as ranking/sponsorship linkages, global venue certification, and the sale of data-based match reports and advertising.

ShotAi stated its ultimate goal is to establish itself as a company that raises the value of the entire court and league ecosystem through the datafication of sports activities and operational automation, going beyond merely guaranteeing fairness in sports through technology.

By Dong-jin Kim(kdj@itdonga.com)