Every morning, before the world fully wakes up I usually head out for a walk. It is a small but powerful part of my daily routine, a chance to breathe, reflect and observe the world while it is quiet. While I walk, my Fitbit quietly logs data: heart rate, steps taken, calories burned.  Prior to this during the night it had also tracked my sleep levels. All of this information feeds into algorithms designed to give me better insight into how I am doing and how I might improve.

That is an example of artificial intelligence (AI), working away in the background personal, accessible, and embedded in everyday life. This offers a brilliant entry point for conversations in Physical Education (PE) lessons to talk tech and AI.  It is part of a growing field of AI in sport education, where data and digital tools are reshaping how we understand movement and performance.

From the Track to the Tech: Where AI is Changing Sport

Take Wimbledon, for example. A few years ago, IBM introduced an AI system that not only analysed the pace and precision of tennis matches but also created AI-generated highlight reels and commentary based on crowd noise, player emotion and key points in a match.

Yes, the computer chooses the “best bits” of the match and narrates them back to the audience using voice synthesis. This is based on real-time data fed from cameras, audio feeds and player stats. Wimbledon and AI show how elite sport is being transformed through machine learning. Sport has changed. It is sport through the lens of machine learning.

And that’s just one example. According to the World Economic Forum, AI is shaping the way matches are analysed, how athletes train, and even how we consume the game as fans.

In athletics, AI tools can:

• Analyse stride, breathing rhythm and energy efficiency
• Offer real-time coaching feedback through smart wearables
• Detect early signs of injury based on subtle motion changes

In football, AI is used to:

• Track player movement patterns across the pitch
• Optimise team formations and substitutions based on live data
• Enhance VAR decisions with computer vision
• Power fan experiences – like highlight reels and stat-rich coverage

AI in sport education means these tools and techniques are no longer just for elite athletes – they are starting to appear in classrooms, PE departments and school competitions.

Tech is not just for professionals. The same principles are trickling down into school settings.

Bringing AI Into School PE Departments

I am going to pause here, because this is not about turning pupils into data points. It is about understanding how tech shapes sport, movement and wellbeing and it is about encouraging pupils to think critically about their bodies, their data and their digital choices.

Talking AI in PE lessons:

• Fitness Trackers in Lessons
  Pupils can explore what their own devices (Fitbit, Apple Watch, phone apps) track. What patterns do they notice? How does it influence their behaviour? What data is collected and by whom?  This brings the concept of wearable tech in schools to life – technology becomes a tool for reflection, not just recording.
• Data-Driven Goal Setting
  Use anonymised AI fitness dashboards to help pupils set realistic goals, based on their own baselines, encouraging motivation and progress tracking over time.
• Biomechanics & Motion Capture
  Introduce pupils to the basics of motion analysis. Discuss apps like Hudl and how AI is used to provide frame-by-frame performance analysis. How could this help pupils improve their running form or technique?
• Sport Psychology & AI
  Discuss how AI is used to detect fatigue, mood or stress levels via wearables. Could this help pupils better understand the mind-body connection? Could it help identify when someone’s struggling – physically or emotionally?
• Ethics & Privacy in Sport Tech
  Develop discussions around consent and data ownership. If your smartwatch knows when you are tired, who else does and does it matter?

These types of discussion are not separate from PE lessons, in fact they enhance the subject, by bringing in digital literacy, health education, ethics and even a bit of maths. That is the power of AI in sport education – it connects physical activity with wider learning.  This is cross-curricular physical education.

A Reflective Moment

My own walks are a quiet joy. But they are also a reminder of how much data I generate without even trying and how that data helps me make more informed choices about rest, movement and mindset. Teachers have the power to show pupils that sport isn’t just about what happens on the pitch it is about understanding yourself, your tech and your world.

When pupils realise that even elite athletes are using AI to refine their craft, recover from injury or choose the perfect moment to serve an ace, like in the case of Wimbledon and AI, it is this that makes tech real. When they see their own fitness data or movement mirrored back at them through apps or analysis tools, it makes the learning personal.