This Silicon Valley Entrepreneur Is Leading the Future of Fitness and AI With a Human Touch

Just the other day, the friendly voice on the other side of my ChatGPT app gave a typical reply to a question I asked. But before she did, she cleared her throat and uttered a ‘hmm.’ I stopped in my tracks. For a moment, my brain thought I was talking to another human.

It dawned on me: Gen AI will fundamentally change how we live–and how we define ourselves as human beings. We sort of know this already. But there are moments, like with the throat clearing, where we’re confronted with the reality of the type and the magnitude of change that lie ahead.

Despite the skepticism and fear about AI that often dominates headlines, I’m here to champion a more hopeful and human perspective. I’m joined by others too, particularly business owners, leaders, and entrepreneurs who believe that AI is not merely a tool for economic efficiency but a transformative force for individual and societal good.

Joining me in this shared vision is Rishi Mandal, CEO of Future, whose approach to fitness coaching exemplifies how technology can extend human capabilities and foster genuine connections.

Where it began for Rishi and Future

In the early days of the business, Rishi found a kindred spirit in Justin Santamaria, his co-founder, whose background at Apple was centered on crafting technologies that connect people. Justin’s work included developing features like read receipts and message status indicators, which subtly enhanced the sense of connection between users.

As things developed between Rishi and Justin and the early founding team, these experiences were instrumental in shaping Future’s foundational philosophy that technology should bring people together.

Technology is the great connector

What team Future is doing is a tale as old as time. They’re standing on the shoulders of inventor giants. Think about the most important historical advancements of the past 150 years. Whether it was the invention of the telephone, roadways, and vehicles, or, more recently, the internet, it’s clear that the most influential technologies do one thing above all else: bring people together.

These innovations transformed society and disrupted daily routines by making it easier for people to connect, share experiences, and build relationships across vast distances. AI is in this camp but with much greater potential–and much greater risk.

Future’s platform utilizes AI to enhance the connection between coaches and clients, ensuring that even remote interactions are personal and meaningful.

Future delivers millions of personalized training plans to members, each built by expert coaches. One place AI is helpful to their human coaches is in building personalized training plans for each member. For every workout, coaches have to select the ideal exercises, design their progression, and select recommended reps and weights. 

AI acts as an accelerant for these tasks, allowing coaches to build or tweak training plans more efficiently. This efficiency opens up additional time for coaches to check in with members over text messages or phone calls.

Future’s success is a testament to the power of AI as a tool for societal benefit. By focusing on behavior change and psychological support, Future’s platform uses AI to extend the reach of human coaches, enabling them to provide personalized guidance and encouragement to a broader audience. This not only maximizes the impact of fitness coaching but also addresses the larger issue of social isolation by building supportive interactive communities.

“The coach is a gift. If we’re connected digitally, I as a coach can see what’s going on with you and your data,” explains Rishi, emphasizing the personalized touch that AI enables. This aspect of digital connectivity underscores how AI and technology can become central to enhancing human interactions rather than detracting from them.

The future is human

As we navigate the complexities of the digital age, stories like that of Future remind us that technology, when aligned with human values, can be a profound force for good. It’s a rallying cry for all innovators and entrepreneurs to envision and build technologies that do more than solve business problems–they should enrich lives, bridge gaps, and foster connections that endure.

This is certainly true for Future. “We have members spread across the country and across the demographic spectrum who rely on a partner–a coach–whom they’ve never actually met in real life,” Rishi says. But that bond is as real, and human, as any other in-person interaction.

Like the actual future for humanity, Rishi’s Future is filled with hope. We may not fully grasp where all this change will lead us, but it’s moments like my chatbot’s imitative ‘hmm’ that remind us technology holds up a mirror and reflects back our own humanity.