Blog Post: December 22, 2025

Blog Post: December 22, 2025

Why ChatGPT Is Not Your Rules Interpreter

Artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT are becoming increasingly common. They are fast, accessible, and often provide confident-sounding answers. In many areas of daily life, this can be helpful.

However, when it comes to learning and understanding NFHS basketball rules, relying on AI tools such as ChatGPT presents significant risks that every official should understand.

Recently, an experiment was conducted in which ChatGPT was asked to take the most recent IAABO basketball rules exam. Out of 50 questions, ChatGPT answered 21 incorrectly!

That result alone should give pause, but the reasons behind those errors are even more important for officials to understand.

The Core Problem: Blended Rule Codes

ChatGPT does not “know” the NFHS rules in the way an official or interpreter does. Instead, it generates responses by drawing from a vast range of publicly available information. That information often includes multiple basketball rule codes, such as:

  • NFHS
  • NCAA Men’s
  • NCAA Women’s
  • FIBA
  • NBA

Because these rules codes often differ, sometimes in very subtle but important ways, ChatGPT routinely blends concepts, terminology, penalties, and interpretations from the wrong rule set.

The result is an answer that may sound reasonable but is incorrect for high school basketball.

A review of ChatGPT’s exam responses revealed several consistent patterns:

  • Many incorrect answers were not random guesses but were based on the wrong rule code.
  • ChatGPT frequently applied:
    • NCAA or NBA terminology
    • FIBA concepts
    • Obsolete NFHS language no longer supported by interpretation.
  • In several cases, the rule reference cited was correct for another code but explicitly incorrect under NFHS.

This highlights the biggest issue with relying on generic AI tools: they do not distinguish between basketball rules codes unless explicitly trained and constrained to do so, and even then, errors persist.

IAABO: Your Authoritative Source

IAABO exists for one simple purpose: to properly educate and support basketball officials. That is why IAABO-approved educational materials must remain your primary resource, including:

  • The IAABO Rules Guide
  • IAABO courses
  • IAABO presentations
  • IAABO video breakdowns and play analyses
  • IAABO exams and case plays
  • Local IAABO board trainings and discussions

When questions arise, your local board interpreters are the correct place to turn.

Interpreters:

  • Study the rules annually.
  • Attend IAABO training and interpreter sessions.
  • Understand national points of emphasis.
  • Teach rules accurately within your board and state.
  • Can explain why a ruling is correct, not just what the answer is.
Convenient Access, No Excuses

To further support officials, the IAABO Handbook is now fully accessible online through the members’ area of the IAABO website (www.iaabo.org). Whether you are using a phone, tablet, or computer, the rule book and interpretations are available whenever you need them.

There has never been an easier time to access official, rules-accurate information directly from IAABO.

AI has its place. However, AI should never be used as a rules authority. That responsibility belongs to IAABO resources and trained IAABO clinicians.

Final Thought

Officiating is about credibility, consistency, and accuracy.

The exam results make one thing clear: ChatGPT is not an NFHS basketball rules interpreter.

Accuracy, credibility, and consistency matter. Trust IAABO. Study the IAABO Handbook. Ask your interpreters. That is how officials grow, and how the game is protected.