Pilates Research: Human–AI Co-Performance in Pilates Education

This longitudinal qualitative study examined how AI may support Pilates education when integrated with experienced human teaching. Over a 12-month period, researchers observed a Pilates instructor using GPT-4 in class planning, cue development, movement problem-solving, and instructional refinement through participant observation, interviews, and real-time scenario testing.

Key Findings

Findings suggested AI may offer value in technical analysis, rapid content generation, exercise sequencing ideas, and knowledge retrieval. Human educators remained essential for embodied demonstration, emotional intelligence, adaptive creativity, safety oversight, and relationship-based teaching.

Why it Matters

The study concluded that AI may be most effective as a complementary tool that supports professional expertise rather than replaces it, allowing instructors to leverage technology while preserving the distinctly human elements of movement education.