New Delhi: In the wellness space, artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the way health startups in India approach fitness and nutrition. Applications like Greet meFitelo and Fitterfly have been leveraging AI for years to offer personalized solutions and innovative services.
AI-powered solutions
HealthifyMe, for example, leverages AI to analyze user data from continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) to develop a virtual CGM, predicting glucose spikes and dips. Fitelo uses AI for personalized data-driven solutions, while Fitterfly focuses on managing lifestyle diseases like diabetes through AI-powered strategies.
According to Sahil Bansal, co-founder and CEO of Fitelo, AI enables the creation of engaging wellness programs tailored to individual users.
The evolution of AI in healthcare
Beyond conventional fitness tracking, AI is poised to transform healthcare into personalized coaching and multi-modal engagement. Tushar Vashisht, co-founder and CEO of HealthifyMe, anticipates that AI will evolve into holistic health advisors that analyze various vectors of data to gain a holistic view of an individual’s well-being.
AI for wellness coaching
The future of AI in wellness coaching envisions AI trainers considering abilities, nutrition, dietary restrictions, disease history, stress, and emotional state. These coaches act as co-pilots of personalized lifestyles, understanding users’ backgrounds and responding in a personalized way.
Health monitoring and diagnosis.
AI’s real-time monitoring capabilities redefine health tracking by processing large amounts of data from reports, CGM devices, and fitness trackers much faster than manual methods. This speed allows for proactive adjustments for optimal health progress.
Advances beyond text-based AI
AI is advancing beyond text-based interactions toward voice, images, and videos. Fitterfly’s Singal sees voice-based AI interactions becoming commonplace, with AI generating humanoid videos for emotional connections with people struggling to stay fit or manage chronic illnesses.
Human Healthcare Providers in the Age of AI
As AI evolves, Singal predicts it will be seamlessly integrated into healthcare processes, improving patient diagnoses and outcomes. AI automates tasks like training, while human healthcare providers offer empathy and guidance that AI cannot fully replicate.
Challenges and opportunities
While AI is promising, there are challenges such as data privacy and bias. Bansal emphasizes the importance of data protection protocols, encryption, anonymization and privacy laws to build trust and encourage data sharing for AI-powered solutions.
Indian healthcare startups are at the forefront of AI adoption in wellness, leveraging technology to deliver personalized, efficient and effective solutions. As AI continues to evolve, its integration with human healthcare providers promises to redefine wellness and healthcare delivery in India and beyond.
