JOURNAL
The Turning Point of
AI
HOW IT’S CHANGING THE LANDSCAPE FOR FITNESS OPERATORS By Ian Mullane
As someone who has been involved in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning for over a decade, I can confidently say that we have reached a turning point where AI is becoming more common and incorporated into every corner of life. When it comes to the fitness environment as we know it today, AI can be recognized as the forcemajeure providing more personalized, efficient, and cost-effective solutions. For example, AI-powered Fitbit, Strava, and MyFitnessPal, all monitor users’ physical activity and provide them with tailored advice. Additionally, AI-based digital coaches such as Jaha and Endomondo are able to provide real-time feedback and personalized guidance to users, resulting in better long-term results. 16 canfitpro May/June 2023
Outside of fitness, we have been using AI in our daily lives for a while, but mostly in singular features that do not offer much interaction beyond completing a task. You can look to Amazon’s Alexa and Google Translate as everyday examples of this in practice. More recently, there was the public-advent of Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT showing us the potential and accessibility of AI applications, with thirdparty developers now integrating this technology into their own applications. While this development is exciting, it is not entirely new. The first version of GPT was released in 2018 by researchers at OpenAI, and IBM’s Watson, arguably the first example, developed in the mid2000s, gained widespread attention after competing on the quiz show
Jeopardy in 2011. However, what we are seeing now are tools that are ready for mass adoption, with their potential for exponential improvement within the next twelve months simply staggering. Furthermore, when we combine AI with automation, we have an incredibly powerful tool set that can improve every aspect of existing sales processes and metrics, from open rates on emails to member retention and sales conversions. Furthermore, we can reduce manual, low-value interventions and increase the certainty that an action is actually being taken, at the same time. For example, let us consider the standard fitness industry sales process, the series of engagements that decide whether a potential customer becomes a member