Alternate Headline: Is Google Coach, A Rumored AI-Powered Fitness App, Coming To A Wrist Near You?
A popular Android blog breaks the news that Google is reportedly working on Google Coach, an AI-powered personal fitness coach you can wear on your wrist.
It’s hard to overstate the extent to which technology has taken over our lives. Many of us have invited big tech companies into our homes in the form of Alexa and Google Home. At any given point during the day, an estimated 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving.
Thermostats, watches, and cars are getting “smart”, and with each passing year, the Internet of Things entwines a little tighter with our daily lives. Now, one of the largest tech companies in the world is preparing for another possible foray into our lives.
According to Android Police, Google is hard at work on “Project Wooden,” the internal code name for a new AI-powered fitness coach. The new technology will use Google’s considerable user data to provide health and fitness recommendations, plan workouts, and help users achieve their workout goals.
Google Coach won’t just be an exercise tracker, but helping you stay active is a big part of its job. Coach, which is also known internally as Project Wooden, will leverage the data Google has about you to deliver health and fitness data proactively. It may recommend workout routines, track your progress, and recommend alternatives if you miss a planned workout. When you do hit the gym, Coach can log your activity and use that data to inform future suggestions.
In all likelihood, that data will also inform future advertisements. Because while most people think of Google as a search engine, the company can more accurately be described as a gigantic advertising agency with a successful free search engine.
Every day, about 3.5 billion Google searches are performed (that’s 1.2 trillion searches per year), and many of those searches featured paid advertisements. The same AI technology used to deliver targeted search results and remarketing advertisements may soon be used to deliver meal suggestions.
That being said, Google is constantly testing new products, and there’s no guarantee you’ll ever be able to download Google Coach on your smartwatch. If you can, it will be just one more area of our personal lives where companies like Google have extended their reach.
