Fitness, Autism, and the Future of AI: How MoveMuse Fits the Mold By: Michelle Zeman

 Group of special needs girls showing team spirit

Above is an image of several people sitting in a circle, each wearing a different-colored shirt. Most of the people in the image are smiling and have their hands extended towards the middle of the circle.


In September 2024, GemmoAI and the University of Limmerick launched the MoveMuse chatbot—a tool designed to help adults with Autism become more physically active. Through the application, it utilizes a method called “WOOP” - Wish (what you want to do), Outcome (how you’ll feel), Obstacle (what might stop you), and Plan (how to overcome the problem).

 

When I read this article, I found it interesting because I’ve seen applications that use different methods for weight loss. However, I hadn’t quite seen an application like this - one that provides this level of encouragement or planning. Many applications I see offer general exercises and diets that may help with weight loss, but they don’t necessarily have something that works for me.

 

If you know me, you know that I hate exercise. When I was in college, I lost roughly 70 pounds; however, I was too caught up in the number on the scale. I had anxious thoughts about what I was eating, how much I ate, and how often I exercised. I even exercised so rigorously at one point that I ended up getting a knee injury (tendonitis) - and I didn’t want to rest. Because of these obsessive thoughts about exercise and weight loss, I look at applications like this and wonder, “How could this application be beneficial to someone like me?”

 

With this being a beta version, I have a few questions for the creators:

  1. How can someone who has obsessive thoughts surrounding exercise be open to trying an application like this?
  2. Can the MoveMuse chatbot adapt to users who have a complicated relationship with exercise, where the goal isn’t JUST about “doing more” but instead what makes a user feel safe and healthy?
  3. Can the MoveMuse chatbot distinguish between motivation driven by anxiety and genuine self-care?

 

I am hopeful that tools like the MoveMuse chatbot will shift how we think about physical activity - not as punishment and only tied to a number on a scale, but as a way to build habits that feel achievable, flexible, and personalized. This is crucial for not only someone like me, but also adults with Autism who have held stigma towards weight.

 

I hope that developers who want to create more applications like this look at designing and developing them with a compassionate, mental-health focus. It could help redefine our relationship with movement.

 

Resources: https://disabilityinsider.com/2024/09/03/technology/ai-chatbot-to-help-adults-with-autism-get-more-active/

 

 



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