Prime minds tackled the health trade’s most revolutionary, and probably intimidating, matter head-on on the ATN Innovation Summit
Synthetic intelligence (AI) isn’t right here to finish us. As a substitute, it’s right here to increase us.
That was the underlying theme when Benjamin Donhardt, co-founder and CEO of SupaFitGrow; Rose Minar, chief advertising and expertise officer of Lift Brands; Wendy White, chief advertising officer of Daxko; and Christopher Appiah, founder and CEO of The Sales Arms, joined moderator Eric Malzone on stage on the ATN Innovation Summit 2025.
After sharing intel from every particular person’s distinctive sector of the trade, the group agreed: this tech isn’t a main risk to the job market, at the least not for many who use it.
“AI is just not going to exchange people, however people who use AI will certainly exchange people who don’t,” stated Minar. “We’ve obtained to embrace it so we as people can do what we’re good at.”
What You Want To Know About AI
Regardless of the group’s confidence in AI, there’s nonetheless an abundance of enormous and small-scale health operators skeptical of it. A lot of that stems from a lack of information relating to the tech’s capabilities.
“There’s not sufficient training on this trade round AI and the way it can assist us develop,” stated Donhardt. “That key phrase is ‘assist.’ Lots of people assume AI goes to take their jobs and it’s going to do every thing for them when that’s utterly incorrect. It’s ‘how can AI assist me do that,’ not do it for me.”
If that sounds such as you, concern not. There’s no scarcity of the way for manufacturers to start leveraging AI, these being content material creation or via promoting. Minar agreed, noting some strides Carry Manufacturers, the guardian firm of Snap Fitness and Fitness On Demand, has already made on the advertising facet with assist from AI.
“AI is optimizing our campaigns, whether or not it’s concentrating on the proper audiences or utilizing dynamic content material creation to handle all that AB testing,” Minar stated. “It’s a fancy world on the market (in) digital advertising, and a few of these AI instruments that at the moment are native throughout the platforms permit our franchisees to have simpler approaches going out and doing their native advertising themselves. So coming from the highest with us, the franchisor stage, however then additionally on the franchisee stage, we’ve seen nice success.”
AI ‘Doesn’t Sleep’ however It Additionally Can’t Match the Human Contact
Except for that, AI is impactful when it’s aiding with the lead-to-sale pipeline. Donhardt highlighted that as the largest ache level operators typically take care of whereas operating their enterprise. He additionally highlighted AI’s means to alleviate it.
“AI doesn’t sleep,” stated Donhardt. “AI doesn’t get sick. It could actually work on weekends. In case you’re hesitant to make use of AI for that a part of your gross sales course of, you’re lacking out. It could actually contact the lead right away, in three minutes, two minutes, one minute…You’ll be able to prepare it on the way you need it to talk to its leads.”
Appiah agreed AI is one thing health operators must embrace, particularly in a gross sales context when vetting via busy work. However he additionally thinks the aspect of human connection shouldn’t get misplaced within the course of; the truth is, he views it as a means for manufacturers to separate themselves from the pack going ahead.
“There’s so many modalities and so many studios which might be opening up with AI automation,” he stated. “We’re all tending to make use of the identical factor, proper? So what’s setting us aside? I consider that that human connection is what differentiates you out of your competitor inside your market.”
Appiah talked about connecting with new members to “set the tone” of their expertise and the act of reaching out to members who haven’t been in for a go to in a while as key areas the place a private strategy shines brightest.
“We’d like the steerage,” he stated. “I feel lots of people are falling quick in simply placing out automation and hoping that the individuals on the opposite facet perceive the best way to make the most of their facility to succeed in the targets that they wish to obtain.”
AI’s Impression on On-line Search
Whereas AI may not take somebody’s job, it should take over their search metrics. White famous that at the moment, 40 to 50% of native gymnasium leads come from somebody typing in “gymnasium close to me.” Now with most engines like google utilizing AI on the entrance finish of their platforms, fewer searchers are being despatched to model web sites. In consequence, visitors and potential conversions are happening.
“So for a neighborhood gymnasium, be it a boutique studio or any form of native gymnasium, understanding and understanding the influence of AI search on member acquisition is vital,” White added. “The most effective issues you are able to do in your gymnasium is automate your request course of in your member journey to ask for Google evaluations to maintain your evaluations as recent and related to your gymnasium as attainable in order that they nonetheless present up within the (search engine outcomes web page), even on the AI web page.”
Selecting the Proper Platform
The pace at which new AI platforms are popping out can even deter manufacturers from linking up with one. With a shiny new object popping out day-after-day, it’s straightforward in your eyes to stray and by no means decide on a variety.
“The tempo is insane,” stated White. “It’s my full-time job to do that, and I can barely sustain.”
However Donhardt defined the important thing to finding the proper platform for what you are promoting isn’t as sophisticated because it may appear. Crucial issue find the proper supplier isn’t a lot in regards to the tech itself, however the individuals behind it.
“Have they got the identical core values as you probably did? You must construct the connection and be on the identical web page,” Donhardt stated. “In case you’re not on the identical web page, it gained’t work.”
Appiah additionally endorsed the significance of compatibility, noting that it’s very important for manufacturers to work with AI suppliers whose platform suits with the tech their model already has deployed, or is at the least adaptable to it in some kind.
“A variety of AI firms are popping up left and proper, and there are a variety of nice salespeople working for these AI firms,” he stated. “Folks get on that decision, they meet whoever, they promote them on it after which they notice that the platform doesn’t converse to any of the tech they’re utilizing. Now, the texts aren’t going out accurately, it’s not chatting with the reserving platform and you’ve got a horrible buyer expertise.”
Whereas all these potential pitfalls may appear daunting, as soon as maneuvering round them, manufacturers ought to anticipate to succeed in unexpected ranges of operational effectivity.
“We’re shifting into an period of unimaginable automation and all of us must embrace that,” stated White. “It’s scary, as a result of there are jobs which might be going to go away, however however, there’s going to be people who find themselves going to offer far more worth than they ever might earlier than, as a result of they’re not weighed down by these day by day operational duties.”
“We’re in an thrilling trade,” Donhardt added. “Have enjoyable with AI and don’t attempt to be too good. Simply have enjoyable, fall ahead and execute at pace.”
This text relies on a reside dialogue held throughout the ATN Innovation Summit 2025, a two-day occasion devoted to the way forward for health and wellness. See here for extra Innovation Summit protection.
