AI doesn't do a good job of coaching, ignore what the direct-to-athlete platforms tell you about it. They are talking their own book. They won’t replace good coaches any time soon, if ever. Right now, they are just a much better version of a generic training plan.
All tech goes through a hype cycle, AI is no different and the AI hype cycle is probably going to be the most extreme tech hype cycle we’ve ever had.
I’ve already seen signs of athletes who were initially very excited, begin to lose interest.
- Boring repetitive workouts
- Workouts that are consistently too hard or too easy
- Random workouts showing up in their calendar
The funny thing is, this can just as easily happen when you have a coach, but you can have a conversation with your coach and resolve these pretty quickly and move forward.
A coach can explain to the athlete that sometimes workouts should be repetative to get the best results, and above all else, the human connection with a coach makes boring repetitive training a lot more fun, to the point where athletes might not even notice that it’s boring. That’s what humans can do for each other.
Let’s dig in a bit more to how I think things will play out. I’ll use the typical tech ”Hype Cycle” framework to make a bit of a prediction. The stages are the “Innovation Trigger”, “Peak of Inflated Expectations”, my favorite, the “Trough of Disillusionment”, the “Slope of Enlightenment”, and finally we settle on the “Plateau of Productivity”
Innovation Trigger
AI-driven platforms launch, claiming to offer personalized coaching without the need for a human coach. It sounds great—tailored workouts, data analysis, and 24/7 availability. Athletes are excited to try it, especially with the promise of performance improvement, paired with cutting out the cost of a coach.
Peak of Inflated Expectations
This is where the platforms really crank up the hype. They start pushing the idea that AI can handle everything a coach does. It’s marketed as a perfect substitute, capable of customizing workouts, adjusting on the fly, and reading athletes' needs based on data alone. Athletes jump on board, expecting AI to deliver.
