Google has officially partnered with NBA superstar Stephen Curry to influence the development of its hardware, features, and AI services. The announcement came during the Made by Google event held today, where Curry was introduced as a “performance advisor” for Google’s Health, Pixel, and Cloud initiatives, leveraging his extensive expertise in athletics.
Curry’s responsibilities will include testing new features such as Fitbit’s personal health coach, and providing insights on “coaching methods and philosophies” to enhance the product, as per Google’s press release. This health coach is built on Gemini technology, featuring a chatbot designed to create tailored workout plans and metric goals for users of the Fitbit app, based on their individual health objectives.
Rick Osterloh, head of Google’s platforms and devices, emphasized the value of this collaboration, stating, “Stephen and his team of experts have already engaged with our health specialists and product engineers to test our upcoming products, which allows us to gather invaluable feedback. Stephen’s elite knowledge, combined with our AI-driven technology, aims to demonstrate how these products can help individuals lead healthier lives and enhance their productivity.”
As part of this collaboration, Curry will be required to utilize Google’s hardware range, which includes Pixel smartphones, smartwatches, and earbuds. Additionally, he plans to integrate AI solutions such as Google Cloud’s AI Basketball Coach into his training sessions for students, a tool Google asserts can enhance shooting skills—something Curry himself excels at, boasting a career three-point shooting percentage of 42 percent.
This collaboration is expected to lead to Curry engaging in branded content, although it remains to be seen how significantly Google might innovate its products under his influence.
