Important points
- Strava's AI tools eliminate data tampering on leaderboards.
- Dark mode is finally coming to Strava.
- The update will be rolling out globally by the end of the year, with dark mode coming this summer.
AI is quickly becoming a constant part of our daily lives, embedded in almost everything. Of course, some applications are rated higher than others. I don't want AI art, but I'm a fan of AI that improves the way we see data and levels the playing field. This is exactly what Strava announced it will do with its new AI tool. If it works as the company says, we can expect to see some beneficial uses of AI technology.
Beyond its AI capabilities, the fitness app announced some welcome additions at its annual Camp Strava conference last week.
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Strava's AI features
No platform is safe from AI
Whether you think it's ridiculous or not, it's a common complaint that some people cheat to get to the top of Strava's leaderboards. Things are heating up, with countless social media threads dedicated to this topic. The situation has improved significantly in recent years, thanks to the proliferation of smartwatches and running watches. Strava also added the ability for users to report inaccurate or incorrect times to leaderboards or individual athletes. Not surprisingly, this flagging feature can be mistakenly and maliciously used, as evidenced by the prodigy cyclist Tadej Pogačar, who is frequently flagged for his incredible (but genuine) performance. has been used.
Strava now plans to use AI to weed out people who falsify data to rank on segment and challenge leaderboards. “We train machine learning models on millions of activities to flag suspicious activity, so everyone can have a fair game and have more fun.” ,” the company said in a post. Of course, it remains to be seen how well this will work. Strava did not provide any further details beyond the quote above, which is not expected to be released until later this year. However, given the problems with the current system, I am grateful that Strava suggested another solution.
In addition to catching cheaters, Strava also plans to use AI with new Athlete Intelligence features. She transforms the data into “easy-to-understand summaries” that she says will help you understand what you've just accomplished and what it means in relation to your fitness and other goals. . Anything that makes all the data easier to understand and more practically useful would be great things to include in our book, so we're looking forward to seeing how this turns out when it's published. Masu.
Dark mode and night heatmap
night owls rejoice
Even in presentations, there are many functions that do not use AI. One of the most appreciated additions is dark mode. Strava's app has always been one of the few apps that leaves me blinded by the all-white app experience. To announce the long-awaited new feature, the company posted a funny video of its CEO reading out people's complaints about the lack of dark mode.
Another feature night owls will enjoy is the addition of night heatmaps. Heatmaps are a great way to find and plan routes based on where others are hiking, running, or biking. However, they are not time-based at all. However, you can now choose to show activity that takes place between sunset and sunrise, giving you a better idea of which areas have more traffic at night. Being able to see popular areas at night can greatly improve your safety when going to new places.
In addition to the night heatmap, Strava has also added a weekly heatmap that shows your activity over the past seven days. This is especially useful for understanding current road and trail conditions.
Updated activity page and map
Great new features to improve your experience
In addition to the Athlete Intelligence feature, Strava is also redesigning its Activities page. The new design provides a “more comprehensive data and map experience when engaging with activities.” Activity statistics are combined into one “unified experience” and the map is overhauled by adding highlights directly to the map instead of adding them individually to the activity summary.
Finally, to increase social media shares, the company is introducing a new Flyover tool. Flyover creates animated 3D maps with dynamic training statistics and acts like a drone that flies through your activity. Eventually, you'll be able to share your Flyover on social media, allowing you to show off even more of your epic adventure.
When will new features be available?
I have to wait a little longer
Strava wasn't too specific about the timing of most updates. Broadly speaking, most of the new tools will be rolled out in some countries later this summer and around the world by the end of the year. Dark mode, in particular, is expected to be introduced this summer.
