The quiet invasion of AI health-monitoring devices

While AI wearable devices help track our many health parameters, are their potential drawbacks being brushed under the carpet?

One minute you are strapping on your Apple Watch to track your sleep patterns, the next it’s diagnosing a health concern you didn’t know you had.  

In 2023, the global wearable tech market was valued at over US$61 billion, with an expected growth rate of 15.5 per cent annually. From Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled pendants designed to fill social voids to smart insoles that monitor your step count and calories burnt, wearables have evolved into precision instruments that track every facet of our lives. “The Quantified Self”—once a niche idea popularised by former Wired editors Gary Wolf and Kevin Kelly in 2007—has gone mainstream, thanks to Oura rings, Apple Watches, and Whoop bands that can monitor sleep, detect arrhythmias, and even predict migraines. As Artificial Intelligence integrates deeper into personal health-monitoring devices, these gadgets are not only enhancing our well-being but also quietly reshaping the way we live. Amidst this digital revolution, we must ask: what is the real cost of such relentless tracking? 

What No One Tells You About AI Wearable Devices

Today, AI-driven wellness tools are everywhere, promising a better life through constant tracking. Devices like heart rate monitors and sleep trackers claim to boost well-being, but there's a parallel conversation that’s often ignored. For many, constant updates via such statistics lead to more stress than benefits, fuelling anxiety about one’s natural body fluctuations. Constantly checking health-related data can lead to anxiety. A study found that unexpected data spikes—often within normal ranges—triggered unnecessary worry, reinforcing the very stress people hoped to avoid in the first place. 

The Dependency Dilemma 

As AI wearable devices grow more technologically sophisticated, they offer real-time health insights, track emotional well-being, and even detect mental health crises.  While these innovations promise to enhance our lives, they also raise concerns about growing dependency. Dr Vivek Nambiar, a Bengaluru-based tech ethicist who consults with several tech companies, cautions, "The more we rely on these devices, the more we risk losing our intrinsic ability to listen to our bodies."

The issue here is that of autonomy. With technology offering answers to nearly every wellness query, are we outsourcing our personal growth? As wellness trends focus on inner-child work and shadow work, which encourage introspection, AI wellness tools, by contrast, might push toward external validation rather than fostering genuine self-awareness. New Delhi-based Dr Palak Narayan, a somatic therapist, notes, "We’re reaching a point where people might trust AI more than their own intuition, which could diminish our ability to form deep, empathetic connections."

Akshay Verma, co-founder of FITPASS, a smart fitness membership programme, looks at it differently.  “Technology is inherently neutral, possessing both advantageous and disadvantageous aspects, and its impact depends on how it is utilised. Wearables can certainly enhance well-being, but the key is to select them wisely. By choosing a product backed by robust technology, you ensure that the AI recommendations you receive are accurate, helpful, and designed to meet your unique health needs,” he says. 

The Price of Privacy

The widespread adoption of AI wearable devices comes at a cost—your data. These devices that use Artificial Intelligence collect vast amounts of personal data—heart rates, sleep patterns, stress levels—and use it to influence our behaviour. In 2022 alone, over 100 million wearables collected and analysed personal data, raising serious privacy concerns around wearable technology and apprehensions about who ultimately controls this information. Dr Anil Raj, a data privacy expert, emphasises, "The issue isn’t just[about] data collection, but who controls and benefits from it."

This goes beyond the aim of improving one’s well-being. Shoshana Zuboff, author of The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, highlights that “human experience is translated into behavioural data,” often without consent. This data from wearable devices can be easily used for targetted advertising or more invasive forms of control and surveillance, forcing us to reconsider how much of our privacy we are willing to sacrifice for convenience. 

The Ethical Dilemma

Striking this balance extends beyond privacy into the broader ethical landscape. The rapid advancements in AI have already transformed healthcare, from rehabilitation devices to predictive analytics for ageing populations. But as geriatrician Dr Maya Khurana points out, "It’s about knowing the limitations and using AI in conjunction with traditional methods."

While life-changing AI innovations for paraplegics or the elderly demonstrate the profound impact of wearable technology, they also compel us to confront ethical questions: How much should we depend on AI for basic functions? Should AI be considered as a replacement for human care, or merely as an assistive tool? Perhaps it’s time to reframe AI, not as ‘Artificial Intelligence,’ but as ‘Assistive Intelligence’—a tool to aid our inherent capabilities rather than replace them. Balancing the promise of AI with ethical considerations is essential. It’s not about rejecting technology, but about ensuring it complements our human experiences without allowing it to dominate them.

Embrace or Resist Wearables: The Millennial Conundrum

For millennials and Gen Z, who are already inundated with constant notifications, screen addiction, and wellness apps, the stakes today are higher than ever. A study by Deloitte found that 41 per cent of millennials feel overwhelmed by the number of notifications they receive daily. So, is the AI in your wearable a friend or foe that is adding to the chaos? Are we on the verge of a future where opting out feels like taking a step backwards? The relentless pace of AI development leaves many feeling adrift, struggling to keep up with a world advancing faster than they can adapt.

As the wearable tech industry races towards a US$265.4 billion-valuation by 2026, the pressure to integrate these devices into our lives will only intensify. Tech specialists have raised concerns about the rapid release of new models, with researchers struggling to keep up with meaningful studies to validate their efficacy. Troublingly,  less than 5 per cent  of wearable devices have been validated for the physiological signals they claim to measure. That, coupled with social media influencers endorsing the latest gadgets and the FOMO-culture ('Fear Of Missing Out'),  it’s no wonder that many feel pressured to adopt these innovations—often without fully understanding their potential implications.

So, what does this mean for consumers? As wearables and AI-driven tools continue to permeate our lives, it means approaching these devices with a healthy dose of scepticism. Take wearables that track physical activity, for instance. They tend to underestimate step counts by about 9 per cent  and  discrepancies in measuring energy expenditure can swing wildly— from −21.27  to 14.76 per cent, depending on the device and activity. Sleep trackers  often overestimate sleep time, with errors that can range up to 180 per cent. "AI wearables are tools, not replacements for human judgment," says Dr Amit Bhattacharya, a tech developer in the wellness space. "They should enhance our lives, not control them."

A New Era of Wellness?

As AI becomes a core part of our wellness routines, there is a fine line we need to tread between empowerment and dependence. These wearables offer insights that can optimise our health, but they also introduce a new layer of complexities around what it means to be truly fit. For many, the convenience and precision of AI is a game-changer—streamlining routines, boosting efficiency, and adding a sense of control over one’s health. But instincts, deeply rooted in human experience, are harder to replace. Algorithms can enhance our decision-making, but there are nuances shaped by intuition and context that data alone may miss.

The future of wellness is undeniably evolving, blending the organic with digital. The key lies in balancing the benefits of AI with a mindful approach—staying connected to our instincts, while embracing the advancements that make life easier. Ultimately, how we choose to engage with these tools will shape the next chapter of our well-being.

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