--- title: "Dick’s Sporting Goods Launches AI Personal Trainer to Fix Your Horrible Golf Swing" description: "These days, retailers are increasingly hitching their wagon to the AI horse: big box stores like Target have [issued guidance]() that they're not responsible for any errant purchases its AI agent charges to your credit card, while chain restaurants like…" date: "2026-06-01" modified: "2026-06-01" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/future-society/dicks-sporting-ai-personal-trainer" categories: - "Future Society" --- # Dick’s Sporting Goods Launches AI Personal Trainer to Fix Your Horrible Golf Swing ![Illustration of a man from behind with his golf club swung over his shoulder after hitting a ball on a field of yellow and green.]() *Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Shutterstock* These days, retailers are increasingly hitching their wagon to the AI horse: big box stores like Target have [issued guidance]() that they're not responsible for any errant purchases its AI agent charges to your credit card, while chain restaurants like [Taco Bell]() and [Pizza Hut]() have forced AI into their services, with dismal results so far. Now, sports retail giant Dick's Sporting Goods is getting in on the hype with its own AI personal trainer. Called "Coach by Dick's," the system will be an AI agent meant to give athletes tips on upping their game, which will of course include targeted ads for new sports equipment, [*Retail Dive* reported](). According to a Dick's [press release](), the AI system "delivers immersive conversational experiences that go beyond transactional shopping, guiding athletes using timely, relevant data and adapting to their stated preferences, goals and behaviors." Built on the Adobe Brand Concierge platform, the whole thing goes live on the Dick's mobile app in June, at which time athletes will be able to "access training pro tips and product education grounded in Dick's sport knowledge." Whether you ask for advice improving your forehand, or for tips on navigating the basketball league you just joined, Coach by Dick's is overtly geared toward getting you to the checkout line. As Dick's chief technology officer Vlad Rak said in the press release, "Coach by Dick's helps guide athletes to the right product, the right fit, and trusted expertise so every interaction is personal to what they need." Needless to say, how this plays out in reality is anybody's guess — especially where physical activity is concerned, where misinformation or improper training from an [AI chatbot]() could easily lead to debilitating injuries. We'll be watching. **More on AI in retail:** *[New York's Beloved Bodegas Are Filling Up With AI Slop]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()