The Fitbit Air is a minimalist fitness tracker that omits a screen and buttons, instead using a single LED to indicate battery life. It relies on Google’s AI to provide health insights and coaching through the Google Health app. The device tracks steps, heart rate, blood oxygen, and skin temperature, but lacks an ECG sensor. It also detects workouts and logs data in the app, though users must check the app for live stats during exercise. The Air is small and barely larger than its sensor cluster, making it discreet and easy to wear all day. It lasts a full week on a single charge, and even fussy sleepers can wear it comfortably overnight. The Air snaps easily into compatible bands, and while the stock Performance Band is made of polyester and elastic, the silicone Active Band is better suited for heavy workouts, though it costs an additional $35.
The Fitbit Air’s AI-powered Health Coach is integrated into the Google Health app, offering summaries, suggestions, and affirmations. The Gemini-based model is tuned specifically for health tracking and uses data from the wearable to provide insights. However, the AI occasionally misinterprets data, such as inventing workouts based on extra steps or a brief heart rate increase. It also sometimes misses existing data, claiming certain information doesn’t exist when it’s visible elsewhere. The Health Coach is always active, offering detailed insights and citing its sources, but some users find it overly verbose and intrusive. The AI can be adjusted by providing background information, such as travel plans, to tailor its recommendations.
The Fitbit Air is a good fitness tracker, but its AI-driven Health Coach raises questions about the utility of generative AI in health monitoring. While the Coach offers basic health summaries and suggestions, it sometimes overcompensates with grandiose praise or pep talks, making it more of a companion than a straightforward coach. The AI is tuned to produce outputs users find appealing, but this can lead to overly wordy and sometimes inaccurate insights. The Coach is available for three months as a premium feature, and Google promises future updates to address some of these concerns.
Source: arstechnica
