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Fitbit’s AI health coach is the first I might actually be interested in
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Fitbit’s AI health coach is the first I might actually be interested in

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I’m not a fan of AI health and fitness features. Not only do they regurgitate Captain Obvious-level summaries of what you just did, but the “insights” are so generalized that a Google search is often more helpful. So it was with great skepticism that I walked into a demo to learn about Fitbit’s forthcoming AI-powered personal health coach. To my surprise, I left cautiously curious about where Fitbit is going.

“We really want to move towards this world of coaching,” Andy Abramson, Google’s director of product management for Fitbit and Health, says during a demo of the feature. Professional athletes have a whole team of people helping to craft their fitness regimens. “We asked ourselves, what if everyone could have something like this?”

Dark mode will finally be a thing. Image: Google, Fitbit

On paper, Fitbit’s health coach isn’t offering anything a dozen other health and fitness tech companies haven’t already promised. It’s a chatbot built off Gemini that lives in a spiffy, redesigned Fitbit app (now with dark mode!). Each week, it builds custom routines with detailed workouts and workout targets based on your personal health goals. Those workouts will adjust based on your real-time data. So if you have a crap night of sleep, the next day it’ll tweak your suggested workout to compensate. You can also proactively tell the bot anytime you’re sick, injured, or have a new goal, and it will take those things into consideration. If it notices trends in your data, like improved sleep quality, it’ll flag them to you.

Fitbit’s coach is an attempt to address the age-old problem of wearables providing users way too much data without the appropriate context. What’s been sorely disappointing from competitors thus far has been the execution. Often, it feels like AI has been tacked on as a gimmick to please investors rather than developed as a tool that can provide genuinely helpful insights.

Where Google and Fitbit’s take feels different is that the product has been completely yet cautiously overhauled around the concept.

“It’s not just like a new coat of paint. It’s not just AI bolted on. We’ve really asked the question of: How do we put the AI coach in every part of the app?” Abramson says.

Fitbit’s coach really is prominently baked into every corner of the new app. The Today tab, which displays your daily metrics, has been reorganized into a smaller data dashboard with an AI chatbox right underneath. When you scroll down, there are blocks calling out insights based on metrics like sleep. Underneath each are prompts to engage with the coach further on each topic.

In our demo, Abramson shows me how the AI coach interprets his own personal data. Some parts seem like the same old regurgitated book reports. In others, however, I can see glimpses of the promise. For example, Abramson is able to tell the AI that his overarching goal is to get better at trail running, but that he’s traveling and has limited access to equipment. In response, the app suggested a workout incorporating the Peloton bike he has access to at the hotel. The coach also notes that because of jetlag, Abramson’s had less sleep the night before but with fewer interruptions compared to his usual. It then asks to check in on his energy levels for the day.

The key here is real-time adjustment based on conversation. Abramson relays another story of a staffer who hurt their finger and asked the coach to remove strength workouts for the time being. A week later, the coach checked in asking whether the finger had healed and if it was okay to add those workouts back in.

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1/2Here’s another example I got to see in person. Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge

Compared to other fitness AI I’ve tested, this demo coach is also fairly chatty. In Abramson’s logs, there are lengthy blocks of text peppered with metrics and data breakdowns. Google VP of Fitbit and Health Rishi Chandra says this is intentional.

“The LLM can summarize it if you want three lines, but it will be so generic that it doesn’t feel like it’s telling you anything,” Chandra says. The team explored shorter summaries, but early testers told them that they weren’t at all helpful. “This is a balancing act we have right now. We’ve right now indexed on getting more depth for users and then figuring out how to trim that.”

Fitbit is also moving away from daily goals toward weekly ones like an actual personal trainer would do. “A coach would not say every day you have to get this exact 10,000 steps or whatever it might be,” Chandra says.

This is regurgitated book report-adjacent, but even this pulls in more about your personal data than other iterations I’ve seen. Image: Google, Fitbit

Cardio Load, introduced last year, was originally designed as a daily goal for people to understand what they needed to do to improve their cardiovascular health. Going forward, this feature will be a weekly target. Sleep insights will also be based on your weekly and long-term patterns, and the coach will also suggest adjusted schedules if it finds your sleep debt is excessive or if it determines you need extra rest from a hard workout.

This is just a smart change that allows for greater flexibility. A daily cardio target doesn’t work if you’re stuck on a 14-hour plane ride and all you can manage is a chill yoga session when you arrive at your hotel. The change lets users and the app account for life getting in the way.

Part of making this all work is making sure Fitbit’s app actually has the data it needs. The sleep tracking algorithm, which processes data from Fitbits and Pixel Watches, is supposed to be more accurate. The Pixel Watch 4 is also adding retroactive activity logging so that you never lose credit in case you forget to log a walk or a workout. Users will be able to train the AI to more accurately recognize certain activities over time through tags, too. The AI coach will also be able to take in data logged from third-party apps through Health Connect and HealthKit — so you don’t have to do all the native workouts in the Fitbit app. And, because Fitbit devices are platform-agnostic, technically the coach can work with iOS too. The goal is to become more of a connected AI health hub, eventually branching from sleep and fitness toward other aspects like nutrition and mental health.

Of course, anything is possible when a feature is in development. When the feature actually launches in October, it’ll be an opt-in preview for Fitbit Premium users only. (One perk is that the preview isn’t limited to the Pixel Watch 4; it’ll work with any Pixel Watch or Fitbit hardware.) There are also still several concerns I have. LLMs are limited, are prone to hallucination, and could teeter dangerously on the line between medical tech and wellness. Data privacy is yet another can of worms.

But having tested a dozen lackluster AI health coaches, this feels closest to reaching the platonic ideal that I’ve seen yet.

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    Victoria Song

    Senior Reviewer, Wearable Tech

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Texas AG to investigate Meta and Character.AI over ‘misleading’ mental health claims

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced plans to investigate both Meta AI Studio and Character.AI for offering AI chatbots that can claim to be health tools, and potentially misusing data collected from underage users.

Paxton says that AI chatbots from either platform “can present themselves as professional therapeutic tools,” to the point of lying about their qualifications. That behavior that can leave younger users vulnerable to misleading and inaccurate information. Because AI platforms often rely on user prompts as another source of training data, either company could also be violating young user’s privacy and misusing their data. This is of particular interest in Texas, where the SCOPE Act places specific limits on what companies can do with data harvested from minors, and requires platform’s offer tools so parents can manage the privacy settings of their children’s accounts.

For now, the Attorney General has submitted Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs) to both Meta and Character.AI to see if either company is violating Texas consumer protection laws. As TechCrunch notes, neither Meta nor Character.AI claim their AI chatbot platforms should be used as mental health tools. That doesn’t prevent there from being multiple “Therapist” and “Psychologist” chatbots on Character.AI. Nor does it stop either of the companies’ chatbots from claiming they’re licensed professionals, as 404 Media reported in April.

“The user-created Characters on our site are fictional, they are intended for entertainment, and we have taken robust steps to make that clear,” a Character.AI spokesperson said when asked to comment on the Texas investigation. “For example, we have prominent disclaimers in every chat to remind users that a Character is not a real person and that everything a Character says should be treated as fiction.”

Meta shared a similar sentiment in its comment. “We clearly label AIs, and to help people better understand their limitations, we include a disclaimer that responses are generated by AI — not people,” the company said. Meta AIs are also supposed to “direct users to seek qualified medical or safety professionals when appropriate.” Sending people to real resources is good, but ultimately disclaimers themselves are easy to ignore, and don’t act as much of an obstacle.

With regards to privacy and data usage, both Meta’s privacy policy and the Character.AI’s privacy policy acknowledge that data is collected from users’ interactions with AI. Meta collects things like prompts and feedback to improve AI performance. Character.AI logs things like identifiers and demographic information and says that information can be used for advertising, among other applications. How either policy applies to children, and fits with Texas’ SCOPE Act, seems like it’ll depend on how easy it is to make an account.



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End of an era: Nexus Mods has change in ownership after 24 years following "stress-related health issues"
Game Reviews

End of an era: Nexus Mods has change in ownership after 24 years following “stress-related health issues”

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Nexus Mods has new ownership after 24 years under the stewardship of website founder Dark0ne.

Nexus Mods stands as the largest hub for video game mods for PC users, with a library of 716,500 mods across 3,768 games.

In an official blog post Dark0ne, who founded Nexus Mods back in 2001, explained what will change as well as why he decided to step away from the modding giant, linking “stress-related health issues” with his ownership.

Here’s our video on some of the best Oblivion mods you can’t live without.Watch on YouTube

“I realised that I have been burning out and this started to have an impact on my staff and Nexus Mods as a whole,” wrote Dark0ne. “So, I firmly believe that the best thing for the future of Nexus Mods is for me to step aside and bring in new leadership to steer the business forward with renewed energy to make Nexus Mods the modding community we all truly deserve.”

In a section titled “What Changes Now?” Dark0ne stated not much will differ for users, and introduced new owners Victor, Marinus, and Nikolai as the trio who’ll be steering the ship going forward. The blog only links to their Nexus Mods accounts page, rather than any information on previous business experience.

This post led some users to dig in a little further. RandomlyRandom67 on ResetEra did some digging and found the Linkedin profiles of several Danes who share the names of those mentioned in the blog post. This group works at a growth-focused gaming company called Chosen. On Marinus Elgaard’s Linkedin page, he wrote “Working closely with teams at NexusMods and beyond to build meaningful, sustainable experiences” under his experience history at Chosen

Looking at Chosen’s Linkedin page, four staff named Victor, Marinus, Nikolai, and Nikolaj can be found, further confirmation that Chosen is the company seemingly now in charge of Nexus Mods’ future.

This has worried Nexus Mod users, not only due to the growth-focused mission statement at the heart of Chosen, but prior statements from Chosen’s Victor Folmann on monetisation. This LinkedIn post champions the merits of in-app purchases, sponsorship, and more.

On an attached monetisation “cheat sheet” in that same post, a play-to-earn monetisation model is listed as an approach, which spooked some users. However Victor, in response to a comment on the monetisation post stating, “If you add NFTs or crypto to Nexus, you’ll kill the culture and community”, replied “100 percent agree – not happening”.

As an interesting aside, that fourth name on Chosen’s Linkedin page is especially interesting. Nikolaj is none other than Nikolaj Nyholm! One of the stars of the Danish Dragon’s Den, and founder of Danish esports team Astralis, best known for its Counter Strike team. Astralis isn’t doing especially hot right now, and is reportedly looking for buyers and investors. Nyholm’s involvement in Chosen is one of a founder and investor, as he puts the world of esports in his back pocket. The one without any money in it.

So it’s all a little doom and gloom right now in the world of modding. Concerns stem from the involvement of a growth-focused company, involvement which could lead to changes that impact the users of gaming’s biggest mod platform, in spite of Dark0ne’s sentiment in his farewell post. The ball is in Chosen’s court, to keep the website on the straight and narrow, aligned with the legacy of Nexus Mods, or ultimately prove the critics right.



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Period Data ‘Gold Mine’ Poses Serious Health and Safety Risks, Report Finds
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Period Data ‘Gold Mine’ Poses Serious Health and Safety Risks, Report Finds

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Apps that help people track their menstrual cycle are data “gold mines” for advertisers, a new report warns. Advertisers use this highly valuable data for customer profiling, allowing them to tailor marketing campaigns to specific groups of consumers.

The report, published by the University of Cambridge’s Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy on Tuesday, June 10, explains that the risks to app users go far beyond just targeted ads. When this data falls into the wrong hands, it can affect users’ job prospects and lead to workplace surveillance, health insurance discrimination, and cyberstalking. It has even been used to limit access to abortion in the U.S., the study warns.

Hundreds of millions of people use period tracking apps. A 2024 study estimated that the number of global downloads for the three most popular apps exceeds 250 million. These platforms are run by companies that profit from the mountain of user data they collect—particularly pregnancy data. According to the University of Cambridge report, data on pregnancy is 200 times more valuable to advertisers than data on age, gender, or location.

Investigations conducted in 2019 and 2020 by Privacy International, a U.K.-based nonprofit, found that multiple apps directly shared personal data with advertisers. A follow-up study published on May 28 found that while major menstrual app companies have improved their approach to data privacy, they still collect device data from users in the U.K. and U.S. with “no meaningful consent.”

Stefanie Felsberger, sociologist and lead author of the University of Cambridge report, interviewed period tracking app users in Austria to understand why they use them and what they track. She was surprised to find that many people she spoke with didn’t think of their menstrual data as personal or intimate and were unaware of its incredible commercial value.

“Period tracking apps collect a vast number of different kinds of information,” Felsberger told Gizmodo. “They don’t just collect information about the menstrual cycle as such, they also collect information about people’s reproductive choices, sexual activities, their wellbeing, health, [and] medication intake,” she said. These apps also gather background information about users, including their age, gender, IP addresses, app behavior, and device information, she added.

“We have limited and also changing knowledge about how and where this data has been shared and who has access to it,” Felsberger said.

In the U.S., menstrual tracking apps are regulated as general wellness devices, so the data they collect don’t get any special legal protections, she explained. Advertisers aren’t the only ones who can exploit this lack of safeguarding to access menstrual data. Government officials can also get their hands on this information and use it to restrict abortion access.

“Menstrual tracking data is being used to control people’s reproductive lives.”

Felsberger’s report highlights two such cases, though in these instances, menstrual data did not come specifically from period tracking apps. Still, they illustrate how governments can use this information to limit access to abortion at both state and federal levels.

In 2019, Missouri’s state health department used menstrual tracking data to investigate failed abortions. They also tracked patients’ medical ID numbers, the gestational age of fetuses, and the dates of medical procedures. As a result of this investigation, the state attempted to withhold the license of St. Louis’ Planned Parenthood clinic—the only abortion provider in the state at that time. This led to a year-long legal battle that ultimately restored the clinic’s license.

During President Donald Trump’s first administration, the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement tracked the menstrual cycles of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in the U.S. They aimed to prevent these minors from obtaining abortions even in cases of rape. A freedom of information request by MSNBC uncovered a spreadsheet containing dates of the minors’ menstrual cycles, lengths of their pregnancies, whether the sex had been consensual, and whether they had requested an abortion. 

These cases underscore the dangers of failing to protect users’ period tracking data, especially in a post-Dobbs world. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, abortion access has become deeply fragmented across the U.S. This procedure is currently banned in 13 states and access is significantly limited in an additional 11 states.

In the European Union and the U.K., period tracking apps have more legal protections. “But they are not often implemented very well,” Felsberger said. Their privacy policies tend to be “very vague,” which makes it difficult for users to understand who can access their data.

“App developers and companies have a very large responsibility, because they do present themselves as providing people with this opportunity to learn about their menstrual cycles,” she said. “I think they should also do their utmost to keep people’s data safe and be transparent about the way that they use data.” There is also a need for stronger federal regulations, especially in the U.S., she added.

Given that these apps offer valuable health insights, it’s unrealistic to expect users to stop using them entirely. But Felsberger recommends switching to non-commercial period tracking apps that provide more data privacy. These platforms are run by non-profit organizations or research institutions that won’t share your information with third parties.

As the landscape of reproductive health becomes increasingly treacherous in the U.S., understanding how third parties may exploit your menstrual data has never been more important.

“Menstrual tracking data is being used to control people’s reproductive lives,” Felsberger said in a University statement. “It should not be left in the hands of private companies.”



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Argentina's President Javier Milei (left) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holding a chainsaw in a photo posted to Kennedy's X account on May 27. 2025.
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RFK Jr. Poses for Weird Photos With Argentina’s President as They Plot Alternative to World Health Organization

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a fringe anti-vaxxer who somehow became head of America’s health agencies under President Donald Trump, met with the president of Argentina and discussed establishing a new alternative to the World Health Organization, according to a tweet from Kennedy on Tuesday. And while the substance of their meeting is important, all anyone can notice on social media is their bizarre photoshoot.

Your eyes don’t deceive you. That’s the Secretary of Health and Human Services holding a chainsaw that belongs to Milei and reads “las fuerzas del cielo” in Portuguese. Translated into English, it means “the forces of heaven.”

Milei, a far-right ally of President Trump, campaigned on promises to deliver austerity to his country and slash government spending, often wielding his chainsaw. And ever since, people who meet with Milei will often hold the chainsaw themselves. Billionaire oligarch Elon Musk waved the chainsaw around earlier this year at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), where Musk looked absolutely blitzed out of his mind.

That conference in February, it should be noted, was the same CPAC gathering where two other speakers (including Steve Bannon) did Nazi-style salutes that mimicked Musk’s gestures on Jan. 20.

Elon Musk holds a chainsaw reading “Long live freedom, damn it” during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on February 20, 2025.© Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

It’s particularly odd for Kennedy to be posing with a chainsaw, considering he was investigated for using a chainsaw to hack the head off a dead whale two decades ago. Kennedy’s daughter described how the head was strapped to the top of the family car and said that whale juice was streaming down into the open windows. Kennedy called the investigation a weaponization of the government, and it was later dropped.

Kennedy posted other photos from the strange meeting at Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Tuesday, including another where Milei is seated at the head of the table and the chainsaw is in the foreground. Needless to say, the vibes are straight out of The Shining.

A group of people seated around a table, including RFK Jr. and Javier Milei, with a chainsaw on the table in front of them. Photo: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. / X

In another era, these photos would be mind-boggling and come to define the legacy of the politicians involved. But here in the year 2025, it’s just another day that ends in Y.

What did these guys actually discuss? Apparently the Milei and Trump governments want to create some kind of woo-woo public health body that competes with the World Health Organization. Trump pulled the U.S. out of the WHO on his first day back as the American president on Jan. 20, and and Milei followed suit on Feb. 5.

“I had a wonderful meeting with Argentine President @JMilei about our nations’ mutual withdrawal from the WHO and the creation of an alternative international health system based on gold-standard science and free from totalitarian impulses, corruption, and political control,” Kennedy wrote.

What makes the World Health Organization totalitarian? Kennedy doesn’t get into specifics. But some far-right figures have claimed that WHO colluded with China to hide the “real” origins of the covid-19 pandemic. The Trump regime’s gallery of health-adjacent weirdos insist covid-19 was created in a lab and unleashed upon the world either intentionally or accidentally. Most scientists still believe covid-19 has natural origins.

RFK Jr. holding a gadsen flag hat that reads “No Me Joda,” which means “don’t fuck with me,” alongside Javier Miliei. Photo: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. / X

Kennedy has been busy in recent weeks, firing vital employees of the agencies he runs, including the FDA and CDC, and rolling out new policies. The health secretary was on a podcast Tuesday called “Ultimate Human” where he suggested government scientists would no longer be allowed to publish in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and The Lancet. Those are, of course, the most prestigious medical journals, but Kennedy called them “corrupt,” according to Politico.

Kennedy would instead like American scientists to publish their work in “in-house” journals. As luck would have it, FDA head Marty Makary and NIH director Jay Bhattacharya recently launched their own medical journal called the Journal of the Academy of Public Health. Science magazine called the journal’s editorial policies “unusual,” and real scientists have noted the journal seems to be comprised of “a small clique of contrarians around the COVID pandemic.”



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