Atlanta Hawks build Abicus, an in-house AI tool that handles about 12,000 waivers a year

In depth · Summary of the source

The Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena used their offseason to create Abicus, an internal AI tool that handles the liability waivers every performer and contestant must sign.

Key facts

• The Hawks handle an estimated 12,000 waivers a year on average, per Kim Rometo, EVP and chief technology and innovations officer
• Covers performers and contestants at State Farm Arena and the Emory Sports Medicine Complex, such as half-court shooters, dance groups and national anthem performers

What was done

Performers are sent an AI-created web page to fill in their waiver, and a matching internal page lets staff see who has and has not completed the paperwork, organised around the game schedule. Before, the team collected electronic signatures but had no structure to track them or a clear record of which game each person would attend.

Results

No figures on time saved are reported. Rometo says staff now have tools in Abicus to create something that would otherwise have taken months to build.

Why it matters

Waivers had long been a pain point but never big enough to justify investment; with AI the team could build what it needed itself, which Rometo frames as improving staff quality of life.

Source: Sports Business Journal, 21 October 2026 (English) · Read the original