SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Artificial intelligence is changing how people work, learn, and even exercise.<\/p>\n
AI tools can create workout plans, track data, and offer fitness guidance within seconds. But William Sturgeon, owner of Mind Body Wellness in Sioux Falls, said technology could not replicate three important parts of in-person training: accountability, real-time feedback and human connection.<\/p>\n
For the people who attended one of his early-morning classes, accountability started with simply showing up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re in an environment where you\u2019re supported, it makes life easier, because I\u2019ll be honest, doing fitness sucks; it\u2019s hard,\u201d Sturgeon said. \u201cBut it\u2019s easier when you have other people there to help you stay accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter Folliard, vice president of innovation at Augustana University, worked with AI every day and watched the technology change industries. But he said his experience in the gym showed him something technology could not replace.<\/p>\n
\u201cAI can\u2019t replace people and connection,\u201d Folliard said. \u201cIt\u2019s not going to connect you like these people will keep you connected, and grounded, and fed in a really deep way. I rely on the workout for my body; I rely on the team for my soul.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sense of community was visible throughout the class, where participants worked through exercises together, encouraged one another and joked between sets.<\/p>\n
Sturgeon said the other major difference was the ability to provide real-time feedback and adjust a workout to the individual.<\/p>\n
His first question for clients was whether anything had changed since their last session, information that could determine what they did that day.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we didn\u2019t sleep well, if stress is high, if we need to make adjustments, I\u2019m here to do that with you on the spot,\u201d Sturgeon said.<\/p>\n
An AI-generated program, he said, could not necessarily account for a person\u2019s limitations, joint health, preferences or how they were feeling that day.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t understand your body, it doesn\u2019t understand your limitations, it doesn\u2019t understand what exercises are going to be best and appropriate for your joints,\u201d Sturgeon said.<\/p>\n
But for him, the limitations of AI went beyond physical fitness.<\/p>\n
He said the social connection created in a group setting could be especially meaningful when someone was going through a difficult time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you can come to a place and feel comfortable enough to say, \u2018Hey, this really bad thing is happening right now,\u2019 but I\u2019m grateful to be here because I\u2019m supported by you people, it\u2019s a feeling you can\u2019t replace,\u201d Sturgeon said.<\/p>\n
As AI continues making fitness advice more accessible, Sturgeon said technology could still have a role, but it could not replace the people standing beside you. And while AI may be able to write the workout, he said it cannot replicate the accountability, individualized feedback and human connection that can make someone keep coming back.<\/p>\n