NEWS YOU CAN’T MISS

The Zero-Dollar Fitness Coach

Struggling to stick to your New Year fitness goals? You’re not alone.

Many people start workout routines with the best intentions… before life gets in the way. Busy schedules, low energy, and the nagging question of “Am I even doing this right?” cause motivation to fade fast.

Now, a new wave of AI fitness tools are working on personalized workouts, real-time feedback, and encouragement - all without the cost of a personal trainer.

It’s a major industry: about 51% of exercisers in the US say they prefer working out at home. Here’s a look at some of the top AI tools people are using…

Fitbit’s Personal Health Coach uses Google Gemini to build workout plans around a user’s constraints: limited time, specific goals, and whatever equipment is on hand. If plans change, the coach adapts - suggesting shorter workouts, travel-friendly exercises, or quick movement breaks instead of giving up entirely.

Peloton is tackling a different challenge: bad form when no one is watching. Its latest machines include an AI camera that can track movement. The system counts reps, checks range of motion, and corrects mistakes in real time - prompting users to squat deeper, stabilize their hips, or stop swinging weights.

Apple’s approach focuses more on motivation. Its AI Workout Buddy uses the Apple Watch to offer encouragement, progress check-ins, and timely reminders when your pace drops or your heart rate zone changes. Over time, the system can adapt its tone and prompts based on your behavior, nudging you a bit harder on good days and easing off when you seem fatigued.

(Source: Nicole Nguyen reporting for The Wall Street Journal)

Falling Asleep to History Class?

A 22-year-old college dropout is making about $700,000 a year running an AI-powered YouTube empire - while working just 2 hours a day.

And most of his viewers are literally asleep. 🥱

That’s because his videos aren’t meant to be watched closely. Some are six-hour “history to sleep to” documentaries, narrated by an AI voice. Others are Minecraft loops, animal compilations, prank clips, or background videos people leave on while they nap.

Nearly everything is generated by AI, and a single six-hour video can cost as little as $60 to produce.

(Source: Eva Roytburg reporting for Fortune)

Meet Sylvana Quader Sinha, founder of Praava Health

Celebrating this week’s Woman in Tech 🥳: Meet Sylvana Quader Sinha, founder of Praava Health - the company that brought doctors, tests, pharmacies, and digital care into one connected system for nearly 1 million people in Bangladesh.

Born in the US, and with roots in Bangladesh, Sinha trained as a lawyer and policy expert at Columbia Law School and Harvard, then built an early career across consulting and global policy - from PwC and the UN to the World Bank, and as a foreign policy advisor to Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign.

Everything changed after a family medical emergency in Bangladesh. Despite resources and connections, finding reliable, coordinated care was difficult and uncertain. Sinha moved to Dhaka to build the healthcare system she wished had existed.

Praava Health was founded to fill a massive gap: patients were forced to bounce between doctors, labs, and pharmacies with no coordination. Praava brought all of that together into one trusted system (clinics, diagnostics, pharmacy, and digital care).

Under her leadership, Praava became one of the region’s fastest-growing healthcare platforms, achieving high patient satisfaction and profitability in a notoriously complex market.

The company operates more than 40 sample collection points across the country, and can run about 500 kinds of tests. It was also among the first private labs in Bangladesh authorized for Covid-19 testing in 2020.

Today, its model is studied at Harvard and Columbia, and recognized by the World Economic Forum and Fast Company as a blueprint for scaling healthcare in weaker economies.