Internet Trolls Tried to Shame a Female Mariners Broadcaster for Using AI. She Rose Above It

Angie Mentink has recently come under fire for using AI to generate postgame interview questions during a Mariners game.

Mariners reporter Angie Mentink shared a message on social media after a video went viral showing her using AI to generate postgame interview questions. | Photo by Matt Brown/Angels Baseball LP/Getty Images

Mariners broadcaster Angie Mentink took to social media to address a viral video of her using AI to generate postgame interview questions during a game earlier this season.

In the video, Mentink was seen typing a prompt into Google Gemini, an AI assistant: “Good questions after a tough loss in baseball.” Mentink was being filmed without her consent or knowledge, which opens up another can of worms, but the video has nonetheless been making the rounds of social media—and not in a good way.

On Thursday, Mentink took to X (formerly Twitter) to explain the behind-the-scenes moment. Mentink, who has worked as on-air talent for Mariners broadcasts since 1997, addressed the criticism head-on, admitting that she had “experimented” with artificial intelligence earlier this season to see if it could help her improve her coverage. The key word there is help, as she stated she was using it more as a learning tool and less of a crutch.

“Currently asking AI how to handle going viral for using AI,” Mentink wrote. “In all seriousness, I'm late to the AI party. Earlier this season I experimented with AI to see if it had any questions to add to my list for my postgame coverage. We've come a long way from pen and paper when I started in 1997. Always learning.”

Currently asking AI how to handle going viral for using AI. 😅

In all seriousness, I'm late to the AI party. Earlier this season I experimented with AI to see if it had any questions to add to my list for my postgame coverage. We've come a long way from pen and paper when I…

— Angie Mentink (@AngieMentink) April 16, 2026

Mariners broadcaster Angie Mentink’s history with the club

In 2025, Mentink became the first woman in Mariners’ history to serve a full-time role as an in-game color analyst. She entered the world of sports media following an incredible collegiate career as a softball player for the University of Washington—she set school records for stolen bases (59) and batting average (.459 season and .429 career) and was inducted into the Husky Hall of Fame in 2001.

Earlier this year in February, Mentink suffered a stroke that paralyzed the left side of her body. She was thankfully able to recover and make it back into the booth for the Mariners’ Opening Day at T-Mobile Park.

“The Mariners have been so awesome,” Mentink said, via The Seattle Times. “I was trying to get back for spring training. I was like, ‘I can do this, I can do this, I can do this.’ And they were just like, ‘Stop. Don’t worry about that. Let’s focus on opening day and make that your goal.’ And I was grateful for that.”

It’s unclear whether Mentink resorted to AI specifically during her recovery from her stroke, as the video isn’t time-stamped and she didn’t mention it in her tweet. MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer has since re-tweeted the viral video and wrote, “This was a stroke victim back at work for the first time—weeks ago—trying to regain her bearings.”

Mentink, though, always the pro’s pro, had no problem admitting she did, in fact, use AI to aid her MLB coverage and left her critics with a simple, two-word message: “Always learning.”

Being a woman in sports media often carries its own set of challenges, and that includes dealing with plentiful online trolls. In this case, Mentink took the high road and was totally honest about how she—and likely many of her peers—are exploring ways to learn how to use AI rather than resist it in a rapidly changing media landscape. Kudos to Mentink for the all-time classy move.

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