Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly transformed from a promising computational tool to a central force in global healthcare, exercise science, and human performance research.1 While once conceptual, its applications today are increasingly tangible—powering diagnostic tools, enhancing training personalization, guiding rehabilitation strategies, and informing ethical governance in sport.2 The integration of AI in health and sports science mirrors a broader digital health revolution, and this special topic offers a compelling snapshot of how AI is reshaping the landscape of patient care, athlete monitoring, and scientific inquiry. Among the articles in this issue is a comparative analysis of large language models (LLMs) in the context of osteoarthritis (OA) patient education. Cao et al.`s study evaluates the performance of ChatGPT-3.5, ChatGPT-4.0, and Perplexity in addressing common patient questions related to OA. Their findings underscore the technical strides made by advanced LLMs, with ChatGPT-4.0 demonstrating significantly higher accuracy and comprehensiveness than its counterparts. Notably, 64% of its responses were deemed "excellent" by orthopedic specialists, compared to 40% for ChatGPT-3.5 and 28% for Perplexity. Although these tools performed well in domains such as pathogenesis and prognosis, they struggled with nuanced areas like treatment and prevention.
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