Artificial coaching

4/2/2025

'Will AI tools like ChatGPT or DeepSeek replace the need for human coaches? What, if anything, is the added value that a real human can bring in an increasingly AI-dominated arena?' Nick Wright (UK) and Dr Smita Singh (India) offer their own reflections here:

I (Nick) have to admit that I feel quite conflicted in my response. On the one hand, I have a deep conviction that human presence lays at the heart of effective coaching, On the other, I can see a huge potential for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in this arena. The opening questions beg deeper questions for me such as: ‘Which aspects of human interaction such as empathy, intuition and relational depth are essential to coaching – and can these be emulated by AI?’ ‘Are there specific situations, industries or types of coaching where AI is more or less effective than a human coach?’ ‘What are the potential costs and benefits of using AI for coaching in contrast to those of working with a human coach?’

An AI can generate questions to help us address day-to-day challenges. For example, if I’m wondering why one of my team colleagues has stopped speaking to me, I could ask the AI what coaching-type questions I could consider. ChatGPT generated these questions when posed with that scenario: ‘Can you recall any recent interactions or events where there might have been a misunderstanding or conflict, even if it seemed minor at the time?’ ‘Have you noticed any changes in their behaviour toward others, or is their silence directed only at you?’ ‘How might you create a safe space to approach them gently and ask if something is wrong, showing that you’re open to listening and understanding?’

That said, in more complex situations, for instance where emotions are running high, posing questions alone isn’t enough. As human beings, we respond to presence, empathy and a felt-sense of being heard and understood. Although an AI can increasingly convincingly mimic these things, and although we have a remarkable ability to anthropomorphise non-human entities, we still somehow experience the relationship intuitively and qualitatively as different. As AI, deep learning and robotics continue to develop further, the blurring of human-non-human boundaries will blur further too. AI could make coaching more widely available, accessible and affordable. Perhaps, for some, it will be good and enough.

I (Smita) have always wanted to address concerns about the scalability, consistency, accessibility and data-driven insights in the coaching field. I hope this issue can be effectively addressed with the advent of AI. Technology-enabled coaching will be a great asset but, yes, reflecting on the questions Nick raised above, a reflective approach will help determine whether we will benefit from it. Today, we have continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and fitness trackers that measure heart rate and sleep quality and, based on that data, doctors make more-informed and accurate decisions. Likewise, having AI help the client identify challenges with more clarity will undoubtedly enhance the quality of coaching.

There are areas where AI may not, or should not, be left alone; for instance to help a client address emotional intelligence or high-stake situations, like deciding one’s career etc. Human coaches can deal with complex, open-ended questions and offer more insightful, reflective and customised responses than any AI. Additionally, AI may may not be much help with, say, trust-building. Humans can engage with clients more deeply and intimately than AI, which is essential for fostering trust and accomplishing coaching objectives. AI coaching could, however, contribute significantly to technology and software development, health and wellness, finance and accounting and other practical or technical areas.

Human coaches may be far better suited to areas like senior leadership development, team building and creative fields that help artists and designers develop their talent. Yet, here too, we could take help from AI and make it more data-driven. Coaches and clients with, say, an MBTI ‘sensing’ preference may enjoy access to numbers over intuition. AI is here to stay but, like all other scientific inventions, it has two sides. It’s in our hands how to use it. I would like to believe that it will not replace human coaches but, instead, will enhance and help the coaching process become more data-driven, and make it attractive for younger coaches to make a career in this field: ‘human-empowered AI-enabled coaching’.

What do you think? We’d love to hear about your experiences, insights and ideas of using AI in coaching.

(Dr Smita works in India as faculty at IMT Nagpur business school and is also a management consultant, coach and author.)

[See also: Coaching and the poor; Coaching through an East-West lens; Artificial]

14 Comments

Sarah Murphy

6/2/2025 09:20:29 am

Hey Nick and Smita. AI coaching? Cool idea, but an algorithm isn’t going to give you that look when you make excuses for the third time. A chatbot won’t pause, sigh, and say, “Come on, you know what you need to do.” AI can dish out structured questions, but it can’t read between the lines of your hesitation, your tone, your micro-expressions. Coaching isn’t just about logic; it’s about feel. AI’s great for quick fixes. But if you want real growth, a human coach is still king (or queen)!

Nick Wright

8/3/2025 02:38:26 pm

Thank you, Sarah. I think those are brilliant examples of where human coaching is able to deal with far higher levels of personal and relational sophistication than an AI. It remains to be seen whether AI and robotics will be able to identify and address such deeply-human and cultural nuances in the future.

Priya Patel

6/2/2025 09:23:53 am

I’ve tried AI-assisted coaching and while the insights were helpful something was missing. My human coach sees me in a way AI never could. When I hesitate, she notices. When I downplay a struggle, she gently calls it out. AI can guide but it doesn’t connect and connection is where the real transformation happens.

8/3/2025 02:42:54 pm

Thank you, Priya. Yes, there's something deeply profound about being 'seen' by another human being - and how that kind of presence and witnessing impacts on what happens in coaching. I wonder how far - if ever - our anthropomorphizing of AI and robots in the future will start to feel real and authentic in that way.

Jake Reynolds

6/2/2025 09:25:21 am

Hi Nick. I'm with Sarah on this. AI can give you great coaching questions, but can it really call you out on your nonsense? Didn’t think so.

8/3/2025 02:43:18 pm

Hi Jake. I love how you expressed that!

Dr. James Whitaker

6/2/2025 09:28:50 am

Hello Nick (and Dr. Smita). The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in coaching presents a complex and evolving landscape that warrants careful examination. While AI-driven tools like ChatGPT and DeepSeek offer significant advantages in terms of scalability, consistency, and data-driven insights, they raise critical questions regarding the nature of human interaction, emotional intelligence, and the essence of coaching itself.

One of the primary strengths of AI in coaching lies in its ability to provide structured guidance, generate thought-provoking questions, and analyze patterns based on vast datasets. Research in computational psychology and affective computing has demonstrated that AI can effectively mimic empathetic responses, providing users with a semblance of relational engagement (Picard, 2010). However, there remains a fundamental distinction between simulated empathy and genuine human connection. The latter is rooted in lived experience, emotional attunement, and the ability to navigate the complexities of non-verbal communication, elements that remain outside the current capabilities of AI (Goleman, 1995).

From a psychological standpoint, human coaches offer a depth of engagement that AI currently cannot replicate. Studies on therapeutic alliance and coaching effectiveness consistently highlight the role of trust, rapport, and presence in fostering meaningful client outcomes (Wampold & Imel, 2015). While AI may be able to ask insightful questions, it lacks the capacity for real-time emotional calibration, an essential component in high-stakes coaching scenarios such as leadership development, conflict resolution, and personal transformation.

That said, dismissing AI's role outright would be reductive. The future of coaching is unlikely to be an either-or scenario but rather a hybrid model in which AI complements human coaches. AI can assist in data collection, progress tracking, and structured interventions, freeing human coaches to focus on deeper, more nuanced aspects of personal and professional development. Similar to how AI is used in medicine to enhance, but not replace, human expertise, its role in coaching should be viewed as augmentative rather than substitutionary (Topol, 2019).

In conclusion, while AI coaching tools can provide significant benefits in terms of accessibility, efficiency, and data-driven decision-making, they remain limited in their ability to replicate the relational and intuitive aspects of human coaching. Future research should explore ways to integrate AI ethically and effectively, ensuring that technological advancements serve to enhance, rather than diminish, the deeply human elements that make coaching a transformative process.

References

Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. Bantam Books.
Picard, R. W. (2010). Affective Computing. MIT Press.
Topol, E. (2019). Deep Medicine: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Healthcare Human Again. Basic Books.
Wampold, B. E., & Imel, Z. E. (2015). The Great Psychotherapy Debate: The Evidence for What Makes Psychotherapy Work. Routledge.

8/3/2025 02:56:28 pm

Hi James and thank you for sharing such thoughtful reflections. I wonder what research in, say, 2030 will be reporting on similar questions. AI/robotics - and our relationships to and with them - are accelerating at such a pace that we are truly heading into an unknown future in which all kinds of surprises (currently unimaginable) could await us...

Sean Harper

6/2/2025 09:33:10 am

Hi Nick and Smita. Very interesting to consider the potential for AI in this field. However, coaching isn’t just about logic; it’s about psychology, emotion and relational dynamics. AI can mimic empathy but cannot truly feel it. It cannot adjust its tone based on a client’s hesitation, nor can it perceive subtle shifts in body language. In executive coaching, trauma-informed work or deep personal transformation, human coaches remain indispensable.

The future likely lies in integration: AI as an assistant, humans as the core. Rather than replacing coaches, AI can handle data-heavy tasks, generate insights and provide preliminary guidance, allowing human coaches to focus on deeper, more complex conversations. I think this hybrid model could make coaching more accessible while preserving the irreplaceable human elements that make it so transformative.

8/3/2025 02:47:58 pm

Hi Sean and thank you for sharing those interesting points. I guess it still begs the question - well, 3 questions really - of how far AI/robots will become effective and convincing at mimicking such human qualities; and how far as human beings (with our ability to anthropomorphize) we will start to regard AI/robots as actually doing those things, even though we know cognitively they aren't; and what impact that will have on the quality and outcomes of coaching provided by AI/robots.

Sofia Smerdon

6/2/2025 09:36:12 am

Hi Nick. Interesting article! Here are my thoughts. Coaching is a dance of presence, nuance and attunement. While AI can generate powerful questions, it lacks the capacity to truly hold space, to sit in silence with a client wrestling with grief, to mirror the unspoken emotions beneath their words. We anthropomorphise AI, but we still *feel* the difference. Trust, vulnerability and transformation require more than just well-phrased prompts; they require connection. AI may enhance coaching, but can it ever replace the deep, human work of sitting with another soul and witnessing their unfolding? I suspect not.

8/3/2025 02:51:27 pm

Thank you, Sofia. Yes, there are so many qualities we attribute to human presence, contact and relationship that (we believe) influence what happens in a coaching relationship and what the outcomes for the client are. It's hard for me to imagine that AI/robots could truly replace a real human being in those ways...but who knows in the future?

Rudi Weinzierl

12/2/2025 09:52:42 am

Hi Nick. One of the advantages of a human coach over an AI is that humans are often less logical, less intuitive and less predictable. This means a human is (or in an action learning set, are) likely to ask questions that come from far more diverse places - even depending on the mood of the person on the day. It's sometimes when a question is posed e.g. inadvertently based on a misunderstanding, or insensitively, or from left field, that a transformational shift takes place for the client.

8/3/2025 02:59:35 pm

Hi Rudi. I love your insight and idea of the potential human benefit that 'humans are often less logical, less intuitive and less predictable...even depending on the mood of the person on the day.' That's very profound. I know from my own experience too that, 'sometimes when a question is posed e.g. inadvertently based on a misunderstanding, or insensitively, or from left field, that a transformational shift takes place.' I love that!