With the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics under way, the International Skating Union (ISU) is aiming to introduce the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision technology in figure skating to improve consistency and transparency in scoring.

ISU Director General Colin Smith told Reuters that the goal was first to use the data to support judges in awarding technical scores and then potentially integrate it into the actual scoring system. The ISU plans to roll out the system first for singles skating and later to pairs and ice dance.

In figure skating, disputes frequently arise over whether a jump contains the required number of rotations or whether the correct edge was used on take-off. Judges are required to make assessments within seconds, a process that can lead to errors or inconsistent calls under intense cognitive pressure.

AI, by contrast, could provide objective measurements of rotations, edges and body positions, helping reduce cognitive overload and bias. In turn, AI could allow human judges to focus more on athletes' artistic expression instead of technical details.

The ISU also plans to use data analytics to assess the consistency of human judges. It has analyzed more than 750,000 element marks and nearly 270,000 component marks from 78 international events to identify potential consistency issues, according to Reuters.

Beyond scoring, AI in figure skating is also being used in training, where data-driven feedback can help athletes improve performance more efficiently.

Ahead of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the president of the Chinese Figure Skating Association, Shen Xue, and Jia Hao, secretary-general of the Zhongguancun Shuzhi Intelligence Artificial Intelligence Industry Alliance, jointly unveiled China's Figure Skating AI-Assisted Scoring System 1.0.

The system uses computer vision algorithms and deep learning to track athletes' movements in real time by capturing eight key points, including the shoulders, ankles and wrists. 

Based on professional scoring criteria, it evaluates the execution and fluidity of movements to assist judging panels. The system was first applied in pairs skating competitions and daily training settings.

AI has also found a role in freestyle skiing. Xu Mengtao, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics champion in women's freestyle skiing aerials, trained with an AI coach known as "Guanjun," a virtual assistant developed by Chinese technology company Xiaoice.

During daily training, the system analyses athletes' movements across the take-off, aerial and landing phases, quantifying performance through multiple data indicators, such as trajectories, rotation angles and jump height, providing coaches with objective guidance.

For now, however, the ISU is positioning AI as a data-support tool rather than integrating it into the judging framework. This reflects a broader sense of caution about giving AI a decisive role in competition judging.