Apple is reportedly still working on an AI health coach, almost two years after we first heard about it. The report comes from journalist Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter, published on Sunday January 12, in which he mentions (alongside the news of the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and SE 3) that: “The company is also increasing its ambitions in the field of health. »
Gurman continued: “Apple is planning a revamped health app – as well as an AI-based coaching service – and additional features for AirPods. This includes heart rate monitoring and sensors to measure other health data.
The news about Apple AirPods getting heart rate monitoring is exciting, but the AI health coach is also a tantalizing nugget of information. It looks like the AI companion is likely to live on the iPhone’s Health app, rather than the best Apple Watches. Details are scarce at this point, but other wearables like Oura have AI advisory services in beta, allowing users to ask questions about their habits and have the AI respond using the data collected by your portable devices.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about Apple’s plans: in April 2023, I reported that Apple was reportedly developing an AI fitness trainer, codenamed Quartz.
The AI coach would be able to track emotions through the Apple Watch, although we haven’t heard about this feature since then. It’s likely that now that the Apple Intelligence rollout is in full swing, we could see an early release of this feature in September 2025, alongside the iPhone 17.
Analysis: Another bad idea?
AI felt like it was in its infancy a few years ago, and I wrote about the prospect of an AI fitness coach with some trepidation. I was afraid he was hallucinating, offering useless or downright dangerous workout ideas and health advice that hadn’t been reviewed by an expert. In many ways, I still am.
However, after seeing AI infest every corner of the tech world and trying several dedicated services like the Oura Advisor chatbot available with Oura Ring 4, I am convinced that this is simply the path the industry is going to take, and Steps will be taken to ensure that the software is safe to use.
I’m not convinced they’re that useful, especially for experienced exercisers, but I can see the potential – for example, recommending workouts from Apple’s Fitness+ service and tweaking bedtime suggestions recommended based on your sleeping habits, all in warm language. like Strava’s encouraging Athlete Intelligence feature.
