New Google AI Assistant Helps Users Stay Fit

Google might be getting ready to launch a new wellness product powered by artificial intelligence (AI).

According to Venture Beat, there are rumors the company is set to launch Google Coach, which would deliver health and fitness insights proactively, using calendar appointments, reminders, and logged activities. For example, if you skip a scheduled gym day, it might remind you to find another time. And if you’re not meeting a fitness goal, it could offer up workouts and routines that would help you get closer to achieving it.

Google Coach will also keep track of your eating habits, as well as other signals (like location) to make recommendations when you’re dining out or shopping at the grocery store. Google Coach’s suggestions will come in the form of notifications and messages.

The AI-powered assistant will reportedly launch first on smartwatches, but eventually come to smartphones, set-top boxes, smart speakers, and other devices “in some capacity.”

This isn’t Google’s first move into health and fitness. Earlier this year it announced a partnership with Fitbit, the maker of wearable devices, to innovate and shape the future of digital health and wearables.

The two companies are working to create consumer and enterprise health solutions, with Fitbit planning to use Google’s new Cloud for Healthcare API to help the company integrate further into the healthcare system. Through this collaboration, Fitbit can connect user data with electronic medical records (EMR).

“At Google, our vision is to transform the way health information is organized and made useful,” said Gregory Moore MD, Ph.D, VP, Healthcare, Google Cloud, in the same press release. “By enabling Fitbit to connect and manage key health and fitness data using our Google Cloud Healthcare API, we are getting one step closer to this goal. Together, we have the opportunity to deliver up-to-date information to providers, enhancing their ability to follow and manage the health of their patients and guide their treatment.”