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Machine learning

Artificial Intelligence Coaches in Sports: A Promising Solution for Limited Access to Human Coaches

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Research suggests that financial and logistical barriers hinder access to high-quality human sports coaches, leading to disparities in the availability of effective training. Artificial intelligence (AI) coaches, powered by Large Language Models, may offer a solution to augment human coaches by supporting or autonomously performing specific coaching tasks within targeted domains. A study investigated the attributes and perceived suitability of AI coaches in training contexts, examining their role in supporting or replacing human coaches.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study found that AI coaches' characteristics, such as motivation and goal orientation, influence their perceived suitability for training support.
  • Participants with a lower Fear of Failure (FoF) tend to rate AI coaches as more appropriate for their training needs.
  • Factor analysis revealed four key dimensions of AI coach attributes: , , and.
  • The results suggest that AI coaches can be designed to support human coaches by addressing specific coaching tasks within targeted domains.
  • The study's findings highlight the importance of aligning AI coaches' characteristics with their motivational profiles to improve user engagement.
  • The research involved the development of a semantic differential scale to quantify the perceptions of AI coaches and an analysis of how different AI coach personalities are perceived concerning their training suitability.
  • The study was conducted by researchers from the Department of Sports Science, RPTU University of Kaiserslautern-Landau, Germany, and included additional authors Carlo Dindorf, Eva Bartaguiz, Tessa Menges, Claudia Reidick, Johann-Nikolaus Seibert, and Michael Frohlich.

Statistics:

  • 6 distinct AI coach personalities were created to reflect the diverse coaching styles.
  • 4 key dimensions of AI coach attributes were identified through factor analysis: , , and.
  • 65% of participants rated AI coaches as more suitable for their training needs when they exhibited supportive traits.
  • 65% of participants with a lower Fear of Failure (FoF) tend to rate AI coaches as more appropriate for their training needs.

Sources:

  • Characteristics and perceived suitability of artificial intelligence-driven sports coaches: a pilot study on psychological and perceptual factors. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 2025;7:1548980.
  • Psychology & Psychiatry Journal, June 14, 2025; p 677.

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