A Respectful Disagreement on AI & Its Hype Cycle — LIVE from FIBO 2026 With Bryan O'Rourke, Pablo Viñaspre, & Marcin Obel

In this episode of the Fitness + Technology Podcast, Bryan O'Rourke shares his panel discussion from FIBO's Future Forum, "A Respectful Disagreement on AI & Its Hype Cycle." Moderated by Hans Muench, Bryan is joined by Pablo Viñaspre of FitnessKPI and Marcin Obel of Qodeca for an honest conversation about what's working in AI, what's falling short, and what fitness operators should actually be paying attention to. Listeners will gain practical insights, candid perspectives, and a discussion that moves beyond the buzzwords surrounding artificial intelligence.

If you're evaluating how AI fits into your business strategy, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

Check out FITC's 2026 Digital Pulse Report: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTV2QT18

One Powerful Quote:

45:10: "Most businesses don't have a strategy. They have a plan, and if you don't think of it in that context, you're never going to be able to benefit from the enablement of technology."

4-10 Bullet Points (w/ timestamps) - Highlighting key topics discussed:

4:41: Bryan and Marcin discuss the hype cycle surrounding the AI boom.

7:57: Pablo explains how AI can deliver genuine, measurable value for operators.

9:04: Marcin examines whether the challenge lies in the technology itself or in the expectations created by vendors and the media.

12:22: The panel discusses the evolution of language learning models and artificial general intelligence, including their potential as long-term investments and the question of credibility.

16:44: Pablo addresses plateaued product life cycles and how companies can continue building meaningful AI-driven growth strategies.

18:05: The panel agrees that the greatest barriers to AI adoption are people and organizational change management and not the technology itself.

24:29: The discussion explores where AI is genuinely improving fitness operations and member experiences and where it is being oversold or misapplied.

31:05: The panel debates whether mass personalization leads to better outcomes or simply higher engagement.

33:35: The conversation turns to accountability, governance, and risk management for operators and vendors implementing embedded AI technologies.

38:08: The panel discusses what minimum government standards for AI in the fitness industry could look like.

39:55: The speakers outline practical steps operators should be taking today to prepare their businesses for AI adoption.

45:50: The panel shares closing thoughts on the realities and the risks of overhyped AI.

Bullet List of Resources:

https://www.fibo.com/

https://fitness-kpi.com/

https://www.qodeca.com/

Guest Contact Information:

https://www.hans-muench.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hans-muench-653346a/

https://x.com/Lazarusmunich

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pabloviñaspre/

https://x.com/PabloVinaspre

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcinobel/

https://x.com/marcinobel

https://www.bryankorourke.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankorourke/

http://www.fittechcouncil.org/

https://www.youtube.com/user/bko61163