Your Webcam Might Be Judging You

Volume 22 August 25, 2025

From the Editor

Volume 22. Look at us, almost a residency’s worth of issues deep.

By now, you know the drill: AI keeps evolving, and we're here to sift through the noise so you don’t have to. This week, it’s all about personalization, clinical decision support, and what happens when your webcam starts evaluating single-leg balance.

Also, have you noticed how many AI tools are “revolutionizing rehab,” but can’t tell the difference between a sit-to-stand and a squat? Same. We’ll keep calling it like we see it.

Thanks for reading!

📰 This Week's Highlights

AI for Personalized Rehab: A SWOT Breakdown

A recent review in Digital Health lays out the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of AI-driven personalization in rehab. It highlights use cases like adaptive goal setting and home-based monitoring, while warning about over-reliance on pathology-based patterns and data privacy risks.

🔗 Read the full article (7 min)

Why this matters for PTs:
This is a clear, balanced overview of how AI can, and can’t, support individualized care. It’s a solid read for clinicians considering when and where to pilot tech in practice.

ChatGPT as a Clinical Decision Tool?

A 2025 study found that ChatGPT aligns well with PT clinical guidelines in common scenarios, offering helpful prompts and evidence-based suggestions. However, authors note the need for broader validation and human oversight.

🔗 Read the full article (6 min)

Why this matters for PTs:
If you’ve wondered whether these tools can do more than draft notes or HEPs, this research suggests a cautious “yes” especially as a second opinion or check against clinical reasoning.

New Benchmark for Movement Analysis Using AI

Researchers just released “Rehab-Pile,” a new dataset and benchmarking tool for AI models that assess movement quality using skeletal data from standard video. The goal: enable reproducible, remote-ready motion analysis with just a webcam or phone.

🔗 Read the full article (8 min)

Why this matters for PTs:
Objective, affordable movement tracking is inching closer to reality, opening doors for better remote assessments and standardized outcome metrics in outpatient and home health settings.

Bonus Reads

• Reuters: "It saved my life." — A striking look at how people are using AI as a stand-in for therapy—and what it reveals about care gaps and ethical tradeoffs. (6 min)

• arXiv Commentary: "The Machine Can’t Replace the Human Heart" — A thoughtful essay urging clinicians to use AI as a tool for empathy—not a substitute for it. (5 min)