AI, Fitness & The Coming Digital Storm: Are We Embracing the Future… or Sleepwalking Into

Ryan Dutton
18 hours ago
4 min read

Updated: 18 hours ago

(A Fit Dads breakdown of the episode that left us fascinated, rattled, and questioning our toaster.)

Artificial Intelligence has been creeping into our pockets, living rooms, gyms — and now, apparently, our parenting.

So this week on the Fit Dads Podcast, Brad and I dove headfirst into the weird and wonderful world of AI.

We went in curious.

We came out… well, still curious, but also slightly terrified.

If you’ve ever wondered whether AI is the future of fitness or humanity’s doom, buckle up — this one covered it all.

AI in Fitness: Helpful, Powerful… and a Bit Annoying

We kicked off with a chat about screen time, heart health, and how modern life has essentially turned us all into highly caffeinated zombies with stiff necks.

Then the conversation naturally drifted into AI. Not the sci-fi, robot-uprising stuff.

The everyday stuff.

The stuff we’re already using without realising.

Meal plans?

Training programs?

Reminders?

Your shopping basket?

Your “For You” page?

AI.

All AI.

And here’s the kicker…

Most of us are already outsourcing huge chunks of our thinking — food choices, scheduling, even decision-making — to algorithms. Without blinking.

That’s where the first little shiver went down the spine.

Own Up: What We Actually Use AI For

Brad and I had a moment of honesty.

I use AI for writing prompts, idea generation, simplifying complex topics — especially for clients. It’s like having a supercharged assistant who never sleeps (slightly concerning in itself).

Brad mostly uses it to argue with, which is very on-brand for him to be fair.

But then we pushed deeper…

What happens when AI stops helping us…

and starts thinking for us?

That’s where the conversation took a left turn into the digital abyss.

AI Relationships, Fake Influencers & the Rise of the Digital Companion

We got into AI relationships — yes, they exist — and it escalated alarmingly fast.

From:

People developing emotional bonds with chatbots
To robots becoming companions
To deepfakes getting so realistic that you could have a full conversation with someone who isn’t even real

At one point, we honestly asked:

“How long until someone gets catfished by a person who doesn’t exist?”

The deepfake topic alone rattled us.

If a machine can mimic your voice, your face, your mannerisms…

What does “real” even mean anymore?

The Fitness Twist: AI Coaches Are Already Here

Naturally, the conversation circled back to fitness — it always does.

People are already using AI to generate:

6-week programmes
Hyrox plans
Fat loss blueprints
Meal plans
Warm-ups
Macros
Conditioning sessions
And full training cycles

And — slightly depressingly — some of them are pretty good.

So the question became:

Where does that leave coaches?

Here’s our stance:

Coaches who evolve?

They’ll thrive.

Coaches who don’t?

They’re about to go the way of Blockbuster.

Because it’s not that AI replaces coaching.

It replaces information.

Coaches who provide accountability, human connection, nuance, and emotional intelligence?

AI can’t replicate that (yet).

Ex Machina Vibes & The “Event Horizon” Moment

After that, things got philosophical.

And a little dystopian.

We talked about films like Ex Machina and whether they’re sci-fi or documentaries-in-disguise.

Then the big question emerged:

Is there a point where AI becomes so intelligent, we can’t understand it anymore?

That point — the “event horizon” — is what keeps scientists (and now two dads from Sheffield) awake at night.

From consciousness uploads to quantum leaps to machines thinking autonomously, the podcast temporarily turned into a TED Talk delivered by two men running on caffeine and leftover Halloween sweets.