✓ Member
Will A.I. Replace Coaches? - Starting Strength Radio Previews
To watch the full podcast this Friday, subscribe here: Starting Strength Network
Member
AI coaching? Man, AI isn't even up to a lot of the tasks they have it doing already. Terminator got it wrong, AI isn't going to become self-aware and kill us, it's going to be left in charge of us and ruin our lives because it is completely self-unaware.
Member
This requires the assumption that the consumer is a genius. It requires the assumption that Rip will be consulted to create the inputs for the algorithms. When I teach someone the squat I'm telling them cues based on teaching thousands of people to squat. I'm placing my fingers under their toes and telling them that I trust them not to crush my fingers. I'm cracking jokes. I'm building relationships. I'm not worried about losing my job to A.I. I'm more concerned about losing clients to pilates or Planet Fitness or McDonalds.
✓ Member
No on coaches. No on clients. Possibly yes on professional athletes. I think car racing goes first. Then maybe other sports. Gender neutral Pro robotic golf would be a lot better right now.
Member
Nick is right. It won't replace, but the partnership is unavoidable.
✓ Member
Technology often does this. While the human actually completing the task is replaced, more jobs are often created to monitor and optimize the now automated process.Originally Posted by grapegorilla
An AI coach seems like a natural progression of the online coaching craze. Instead of an online human coach reviewing a video you record and giving feedback for the next workout, the AI coach will provide immediate feedback/cues/witty banter, and the human coach will review the AI's performance (and yours) and adjust the AI's programming as needed.
Member
This is a common misconception. Jobs surrounding the tech are created, but there is still a net loss of employment opportunity. That one human would be tasked with monitoring a number of AI processes. Where there were once several jobs, there is now only one. If automation didn't allow for this, businesses wouldn't be going for it, after all.
✓ Member
I see. So it's like how when I go to McDonald's, the kid who used to take my order at the register now walks me through the touch screen menu. Or how I need, like, 10 different hospital techs to run tests and get images before the doctor actually diagnoses anything.
I have seen numerous instances in my career where automation is increased and exactly 0 jobs are eliminated. More often people who specialize in monitoring, tuning, and optimizing these systems are put in place because nobody else at the facility understands them or wants to deal with them. In times of crisis, the default is to rely on the human worker's knowledge and experience to carry forward.
Sure, when you're talking about manual labor your statement makes some sense. But in an era when many people are knowledge workers rather than true laborers (i.e., if I hire more people, my production doesn't actually go up), your assertion doesn't hold as well.
S
Member
Most businesses do not hire a person to work on their machines as a regular position. They usually contract the work out. There are often firms that service the machinery of many businesses.
✓ Member
Are contract jobs not jobs? How does this not support the notion that technological advances mean more employment opportunities in a knowledge work based economy?
Personally, I think the phenomenon you are pointing out here has much more to do with the growing demand for employer sponsored benefits than the growth of automation.
Posting Permissions
