MIT Technolgy Review: "Is ChatGPT really the future of coaching? Or is it just a confident bullshitter?"

AI is terrible at recognizing irony or sarcasm. Probably someone posted an obviously fake Marathon training plan somewhere online with that 19mi the day before and it got linked to a lot. That's how ChatGPT assessed popularity.

I think the future of AI is bright but it will be a long time before its thinking will be anywhere close to how humans think.

Language models find it increasingly difficult to model and learn higher level concepts, so their advice would be like a Reddit amateur who reads a lot and starts doling out advice like experts just because they’ve read similar things over and over, but don’t understand the why’s of some of those recommendations or when they should be overridden. These issues will improve with more training and human labeling feedback.

In the not too distant future, I could see it replacing a lot of online coaches who give out generic training plans with some weekly feedback (like Tinman). Obviously an in-person coach would provide a different experience that it can't replicate.

ChatGPT is o.k. for free. The language translation from American to my parent's language has to be corrected to sound reasonable and not like a computer.

Chat GPT has a ways to go says this D3 Youtuber:

ChatGPT already is more intelligent than virtually anyone. How many human dimwits do you see posting on LRC?

Isn't being a "confident bullsh*tter" like 80% of a coaches job anyway?

also, how come rojo gets to swear, but I can't?

ChatGPT gave me a 6 week plan that was guaranteed to get anyone to break 4 minutes in the mile.

Was it a phone number for an anti-aging clinic that will give you EPO and testosterone, no questions asked?

Nope. Just 30 minutes a day of running with at least 2 rest days per week.

How's the power grid now Lil' Tex???? Rolling blackouts I see. Do better Texas.

I asked it how to run a 16:00 5k, and it suggested running 30 minute tempos at 5:00 pace.

I asked Chat GPT to write a limerick about LetsRun
limerick about LetsRun

There once was a site called LetsRun
Where runners of all skill levels come
To share tips and tales
Of their training and fails
And to bond over their love of the run.

Some background on this from a guy co-authoring a book on GPT at the moment

1. GPT is good at getting you 60-80% of the right answer, it is not a wholesale replacement for thinking. There have been a number of recent efforts to have GPT answer questions from the bar, CPA, and medical licensing exams and it performs near passing, but with lots of room to improve.

2. One of the biggest and most interesting areas of study around GPT is an area known as "Prompt Engineering." This concept has to do with learning how to engineer prompts, reliably, for improved outcomes. You can think of prompt engineering as a corollary tothe notion that when you put garbage into an AI, you will get garbage out of an AI. Contrawise, if you engineer great prompts, you will get better answers.

Both of these directly apply to how coaching will evolve in light of AI.

Good thing it hasn't discovered letsrun yet, or it would be suggesting 5x18 as a reasonable workout

I asked it about how to run a sub 4 mile and it said:

1. Warm Up: 5-10 minutes of light aerobic activity such as jogging, cycling, or jumping rope to get your body warmed up and ready to run.
2. Speed Work: Start with a series of short intervals at race pace. Run 400 meters at or slightly faster than your goal mile pace, with a 400 meter jog in between. Increase the number of repeats as you get closer to your goal.
3. Hill Workouts: Hill workouts can help build strength and increase your speed. Find a hill that is slightly inclined and run up it at a slightly faster pace than your goal mile pace. Recover with a gentle jog or walk back down the hill.
4. Longer Tempo Runs: Once you’ve built up your speed and strength, you can start to incorporate longer tempo runs into your training. Aim for a 10-15 minute run at your goal mile pace.
5. Rest: It is important to give your body time to rest and recover. Include at least one rest day per week in your training plan.
6. Race Time: Once you are feeling confident in your training, it’s time to race! Aim for a sub 4 minute mile and don’t forget to stay focused and enjoy the experience.

I know the title of the post is about ChatGPT + Coaching, but at the moment I don't find ChatGPT to be that awesome. Like you all have found, if you ask it coaching questions, you'll find non-sense.

I have asked it questions in areas where I am somewhat of a subject matter expert, and while the answers are right, they also literally look like sections of text around the internet glued together.

The frightening thing is knowing that it will probably get much better, much faster that I thought. It's a pretty neat tool but overblown in its abilities AT THE MOMENT.