Technologies

I Finally Found an AI Health Coach Worth Listening To

Commentary: In a sea of AI noise, the Whoop band’s Coach has been an unlikely ally in helping me train smarter. And I didn’t have to go looking for it.

Just hearing the phrase “AI health coach” listed among the Whoop band’s features was enough to make me tune out. After testing many of these supposed coaches, taking their advice became somewhat meaningless. But Whoop’s take on this tired perk may have turned the tide for me.

I’ve spent two months testing the latest Whoop MG band, a screenless fitness tracker built for athletes and long-term performance, and I’m shocked at how much I’ve learned.

The chatbot doesn’t regurgitate generic wellness tips or wait for you to come to it with questions. Think of it as that little cartoon angel that pops up on your shoulder at exactly the right moment, except instead of moral guidance, it’s flagging that your heart rate data suggests you should probably skip the HIIT class tomorrow.

It wasn’t just surfacing metrics. It was helping me understand what to do with them.

AI health coaches are the hot buzzword of the season among wellness enthusiasts. Over the last year, I’ve tested different versions from Google, Apple, Oura, Garmin, and Meta. On paper, most AI health coaches promise to contextualize the years’ worth of biometric data from your wearable device and turn it into personalized guidance.

In reality, most require you to go looking for it: Open the right tab and ask the right questions about your data, if you remember the feature exists in the first place.

Even when you do use AI health coaches as intended, they still offer mostly generic wellness advice (with the added worry about potentially handing off your data to train future models). At that point, it doesn’t feel much different from going straight to ChatGPT or Claude, just with your biometrics layered on top.

If you’re already using a Whoop band, you’ve likely made that call about the risk to your information. The company says it uses anonymized, aggregated data to improve its platform and doesn’t sell your data to advertisers. The subscription, which ranges from $199 to $359 per year, is what you’re really paying for, and the AI coach is included. Though handing over your health data isn’t a small decision.
As I explored in my piece on AI health coaches, my biggest concern going in was data privacy. We’ve become so desensitized to clicking “agree” on data disclosures that most of us aren’t even sure what we’re signing away anymore. The language is often intentionally vague, and much of this data falls outside HIPAA protections, meaning it can legally be repurposed in ways you never intended. If you’re concerned about privacy, read the fine print before you commit. From there, opt out of having your data used to train future models when possible, or skip the AI features entirely. In my case, the benefit still outweighs the risk (and testing them is part of my job), but I approach with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Like most apps, it has a dedicated coach button at the bottom of the nav bar that you can summon on demand. But this one finds me.

Two days before my period (which I’d genuinely forgotten was coming), the Whoop coach flagged that workouts might feel harder due to hormonal changes and suggested scaling back. Call it suggestive reasoning or newfound body awareness, but workouts truly did feel harder that week.

During my regular 3-mile loop, my metrics showed signs of strain. My heart rate was higher than usual, my recovery was lower, and my running index came back “very good” instead of the “elite” level I’d hit on previous days. The next day, it didn’t just suggest a generic “rest day.” Instead, the coach pulled workouts already in my rotation and tailored them to my recovery, down to the number of minutes and heart rate zone targets.

The Whoop band flagged that my all-out efforts hit differently, too. After crushing a PR (personal record), the AI coach surfaced a warning not to push into the peak heart rate zone more than once a week.

As a casual athlete with chronic imposter syndrome, I’m usually beating myself up for not pushing myself to work out hard five days a week. Instead of praising me for being a martyr, it was saying the opposite. I was skeptical enough to verify it outside the app, and sure enough, sustained effort at peak heart rate can increase injury risk if you’re not baking in recovery time.

This insight has forced me to rethink my all-or-nothing approach to training, where every workout had to be max effort to count. It also led me to put more trust in the AI coach.

That trust got tested when I logged a hike carrying my 40-pound toddler, and my strain score didn’t reflect the effort. The band has no altimeter and no way to account for extra weight. When I flagged it, the coach couldn’t retroactively fix the score, but it explained that my elevated heart rate had already partially signaled the added effort. Not a perfect answer, but more than I’d have gotten staring at a number with no context.

The same logic applies to sleep. The Whoop coach adjusts your recommended bedtime dynamically based on strain, sleep debt and recent patterns. As bedtime approaches, the coach surfaces a reminder on my lock screen about my optimal bedtime window: “If you want to stay in the green recovery zone tomorrow, aim for 11:40 p.m.”

And while it might not be enough to will me off the couch and into bed, the AI coach has stopped me from blowing too far past midnight. It feels less like a nagging parent and more like, “I’m trusting you to make the right choices for your body.”

That’s ultimately what sets the Whoop band’s AI coach apart. It’s the closest thing to an actual coach I’ve tested because it meets you where you are. It shows up at the right moment, connects the dots and gives you something actionable without asking anything extra from you.

While most AI health tools still feel like dashboards with a slapped-on chatbot, this one is the first to feels like it’s truly coaching. Now it just needs to give me the same type of coaching at the gym or at the track while I’m doing the actual workout. Then I’d be all in.

Technologies

Passengers and crew foil co-pilot’s apparent attempt to crash FlyDubai flight to Israel

One of the pilots on a FlyDubai flight headed for Israel stabbed the second pilot, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

On-duty flight crew and passengers managed to foil a pilot’s apparent attempt to crash a FlyDubai flight, after reports emerged of a fight in the cockpit.

The incident on flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv happened when a co-pilot stabbed a pilot, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who praised the victim’s quick thinking.

“Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster. He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals,” Netanyahu wrote in a post on X.

FZ1073 was diverted to the Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia, the airline said, after being successfully secured and diverted by flight crew.

FlyDubai in a statement said that an “altercation” occurred on the flight deck of the plane, but did not mention a stabbing.

However, the airline added that the underlying reasons and motives for the clash is currently unknown, urging all parties to refrain from speculation.

The injured pilot was identified by Netanyahu as Indian national Smit Machchhar. No details have been released on the identity of the attacker, except that he was being interrogated by Saudi authorities.

The Indian embassy in Riyadh said on X that Machchhar is in a hospital in Tabuk, and is reported to be in stable condition.

The Israeli Prime Minister also identified the passenger who broke into the cockpit as Yaniv Hayun, calling him a “hero” and adding he deserved “a global medal of honor.”

Flight data from tracking site FlightRadar24 showed that the plane had experienced extreme altitude fluctuations before broadcasting a “general emergency” squawk code.

FZ1073 had dropped from over 14,000 feet in just 29 seconds, and FlightRadar24 also added that vertical speeds ranging from approximately -30,000 to +10,000 feet per minute were observed from the transponder data.

For context, vertical speeds during normal operations rarely exceed plus or minus 4,000 feet per minute, it added.

Technologies

South Korean President Lee Reins In Alaska LNG Project Participation Following Trump’s Endorsement

South Korea’s proposed $200 billion U.S. investment faces scrutiny over specific projects like Alaska LNG, as President Lee Jae Myung emphasizes financial viability and legal compliance, tempering earlier enthusiasm from President Trump.

South Korea’s proposed $200 billion investment in the U.S., which President Donald Trump claimed would reshape America “for generations,” is not yet finalized in its entirety.

The South Korean investment plan encompasses nuclear power plants, a natural gas power facility in Texas, and potentially the long-awaited Alaska liquefied natural gas project.

Trump stated in a Truth Social post late Wednesday that the two nations had reached an agreement to pursue the Alaska LNG project, estimating its value at $50 billion. In response, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung cautioned on Thursday that involvement in certain projects still hinges on commercial considerations.

Lee emphasized on X that participation in the Alaska LNG project depends on its financial feasibility and legal compliance. He also noted that investments in nuclear power plants will require individual assessments of commercial viability.

The U.S.-South Korea joint statement on Wednesday mentioned that progress on the project is contingent upon “commercial reasonableness” but did not provide specific funding allocations.

The Alaska LNG project aims to transport natural gas approximately 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) from fields on Alaska’s North Slope to the state’s southern region for liquefaction and export to markets such as Asia, according to Yonhap. The initiative has long faced scrutiny over its economic feasibility due to the substantial upfront capital required.

Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan labeled the project “high-risk” last year, stating that involvement would be challenging without ensuring adequate cash flow.

Overall, the investment package includes $22.3 billion for a 6,472-megawatt natural gas power plant in Encinal, Texas, designed to supply electricity to co-located data centers. The project will be spearheaded by developer Related Cos. and U.S. energy company NextEra Energy.

Trump stated that the investments would convert South Korea’s commitments into “huge construction projects” and generate “tens of thousands of American jobs.”

“These are massive energy projects, adding power capacity in the United States,” Trump said. “This is new construction, new manufacturing, and great jobs for American workers.”

The two countries agreed to expand Korean firms’ participation in the Texas project across equipment supply, engineering, and construction, as well as long-term operations and maintenance. The U.S. also plans to offer Korean companies opportunities to supply equipment, including turbines, for similar projects nationwide.

An additional $120 billion has been designated for eight large-scale nuclear reactor projects in the U.S. Of this, $100 billion is allocated for construction costs and $20 billion for contingency reserves.

The nuclear agreement was signed by both governments along with Westinghouse Electric, Korea Electric Power Corp., and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power. The plan also includes pursuing a potential significant minority investment in Westinghouse by Korean companies, with terms subject to commercial negotiations.

Technologies

SEC Advances Crypto Custody Rules as Major Legislation Languishes in Congress

The SEC has proposed new crypto custody rules for investment advisers and funds while comprehensive legislation remains stalled in Congress, creating a regulatory pathway for digital asset holdings.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has unveiled proposed regulations designed to simplify the process for investment advisers and regulated funds to maintain cryptocurrency holdings for clients, as American regulators move forward with crafting digital asset rules following the stalling of comprehensive legislation on Capitol Hill.

The proposal, revealed Thursday, would create a specialized framework governing how registered investment advisers, investment companies, and business development companies maintain custody of crypto assets.

The modifications aim to update decades-old custody requirements and eliminate regulatory obstacles that the SEC says have restricted advisers’ capacity to provide crypto-related investment options.

Under the proposed regulations, crypto assets could be held in self-custody under “certain circumstances,” while state trust companies could also function as custodians for crypto assets belonging to clients and regulated funds.

The changes could also grant regulated funds expanded authority to offer investors crypto-related investment strategies, according to the SEC.

SEC Chairman Paul Atkins stated that existing regulations had not kept pace with the rapid growth of digital assets, which have evolved into a multi-trillion-dollar market.

“Today’s proposal would provide a clear regulatory framework for the custody of crypto assets, giving investment advisers and funds a compliant pathway where none existed before,” Atkins said.

The proposal arrives as U.S. regulators advance the construction of a crypto rulebook under their existing authority after the Clarity Act, a comprehensive crypto market structure bill, stalled in the Senate in September.

This represents another step in the SEC’s broader initiative to reshape the U.S. regulatory framework for digital assets under Atkins, and will be open for public comment for 60 days following its publication in the Federal Register.

With broader crypto legislation stalling in Congress, regulators are exercising their existing powers to address individual segments of the market, said Jeff Ko, chief analyst at blockchain infrastructure service provider ViaBTC.

“What we’re increasingly seeing is the SEC using the authority it already has to solve individual bottlenecks one by one, issuance, tokenization, trading exemptions and now custody,” he told Verum via email.

The changes could also intensify competition among crypto custodians, potentially reducing the cost and complexity of investing in digital assets, he said, adding that institutional custody has historically been concentrated among a relatively small number of providers.

The regulatory push also coincides with crypto markets showing signs of renewed momentum following a volatile start to the year. Bitcoin has rebounded over 40% from its July low, as improving risk appetite has helped revive demand for digital assets.

The recovery follows a prolonged downturn from late 2025 into the first half of 2026.