The unbearable obviousness of AI fitness summaries
The unbearable obviousness of AI fitness summaries
The author has become tired of AI-generated summaries in fitness apps, which they see as more repackaging data than insightful analysis.
The author has accumulated a large amount of health and fitness data from wearables over nearly a decade, but finds the AI summaries to be unhelpful.
Several popular fitness apps, including Strava, Whoop, and Oura, have introduced AI chatbots that provide daily summaries of user data.
The typical morning summary from these apps provides basic information such as sleep duration, heart rate, and recovery metrics, but offers little in the way of actionable advice or new insights.
The author believes that the AI summaries are more focused on providing a sense of familiarity and routine than actually helping users improve their health and fitness.
The insights are more repackaging data you already know with common sense advice than deductive analysis.
After nearly a decade of wearables testing, I’ve amassed a truly terrifying amount of health and fitness data. And while I enjoy poring over my daily data, there’s one part I’ve come to loathe: AI summaries.
Over the last two years, a deluge of AI-generated summaries has been sprinkled into every fitness, wellness, and wearable app. Strava introduced a feature called Athlete Intelligence, pitched as AI taking your raw workout data and relaying it to you in “plain English.” Whoop has Whoop Coach, an AI chatbot that gives you a “Daily Outlook” report summarizing the weather, your recent activity and recovery metrics, and workout suggestions. Oura added Oura Advisor, another chatbot that summarizes data and pulls out long-term trends. Even my bed greets me with summaries every morning of how its AI helped keep me asleep every night.
Each platform’s AI has its nuances, but the typical morning summary goes a bit like this:
Good morning! You slept 7 hours last night with a resting heart rate of 60 bpm. That’s in line with your weekly average, but your slightly elevated heart rate suggests you may not be fully recovered. If you feel tired, try going to bed earlier tonight. Health is …
Q. What is the author’s experience with AI fitness summaries?
A. The author has amassed a large amount of health and fitness data over nearly a decade, but has come to loathe the AI-generated summaries that have been introduced into various fitness apps.
Q. How many years has the author been testing wearables?
A. The author has been testing wearables for nearly a decade.
Q. What is Strava’s Athlete Intelligence feature?
A. Strava’s Athlete Intelligence is an AI-powered feature that takes raw workout data and relays it to users in “plain English”.
Q. What does Whoop Coach offer?
A. Whoop Coach is an AI chatbot that provides a daily outlook report summarizing the weather, recent activity, recovery metrics, and workout suggestions.
Q. How many years has Oura added its Advisor feature?
A. The article doesn’t specify exactly how long Oura’s Advisor feature has been available, but mentions it was introduced over the last two years.
Q. What is the typical format of AI-generated morning summaries?
A. The typical morning summary goes a bit like this: “Good morning! You slept 7 hours last night with a resting heart rate of 60 bpm. That’s in line with your weekly average, but your slightly elevated heart rate suggests you may not be fully recovered.”
Q. What is the author’s opinion on AI fitness summaries?
A. The author finds AI fitness summaries to be more repackaging data they already know with common sense advice rather than deductive analysis.
Q. How many platforms have introduced AI-generated summaries?
A. At least three platforms (Strava, Whoop, and Oura) have introduced AI-generated summaries into their apps.
Q. What is the purpose of bed’s morning summary?
A. The author’s bed greets them with a summary every morning of how its AI helped keep them asleep every night.
Q. How does the author feel about the proliferation of AI fitness summaries?
A. The author finds it “terrifying” to have so many AI-generated summaries in their daily routine.
