A Research Paper By Fran Reddan, Executive & Leadership Coach, AUSTRALIA
AI Coaching: The Rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning Tools
In an era dominated by technological advancements, the coaching landscape is undergoing a profound transformation. With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning tools that are potentially more cost-effective, scalable, analytical, flexible, and personalized, what does this mean for human coaches? Will chatbots take over as experienced coaches who are never tired, always available, well trained to ensure they ‘ask, don’t tell’ and who eventually may even look like one of your favorite heroes?
Background for Coaching
The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as
‘partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.’(ICF, 2023)
This definition emphasizes the collaborative nature of coaching, where the coach facilitates a stimulating and creative dialogue to support the client’s growth and self-discovery.
With the emergence of AI, technology is increasingly being applied to coaching, both as a support to the coaching process and to the delivery of the coaching itself so that the ‘thought-provoking and creative process’ described above can be used to optimal effect.
According to current research (Passmore & Tee, Can Chatbots replace human coaches? Issues and dilemmas for the coaching profession, coaching clients and for organizations., 2023)., some of the ways AI technology is being used as a support to coaching include:
- The assessment of client readiness for coaching
- Coach – client matching
- Recommendation of inter-sessional coaching assignments (sometimes called homework)
- Supporting goal attainment between sessions through client nudges
- AI coach supervisor (asynchronous coach supervision based on session transcript)
In addition to coaching supports, there has also been a shift in the way the coaching session can be delivered apart from ‘traditional’ face-to-face coaching. This ‘pluralization of coaching’ describes other alternative options. These have evolved from telephone coaching using audio calls, to online coaching including both audio and video sessions using platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, or other digital coaching platforms. Online technologies have gained traction in recent years, especially following the COVID pandemic, and they have allowed coaches to work with clients from a distance while still maintaining real-time, synchronous connections during coaching sessions.
The Rise of AI Coaching and Chatbots
The research shows that pluralization is now increasing to embrace the era of ‘AI coaching’. This refers to the application of artificial intelligence methodologies to the coaching environment which is ‘Synchronous or asynchronous coaching using AI or a computer as a coach instead of a human coach’; ‘chatbots serve as ‘conversational agents that act to replicate human interaction through text, speech, and visual forms of communication’(Passmore & Tee, Can Chatbots replace human coaches? Issues and dilemmas for the coaching profession, coaching clients and for organizations., 2023).to deliver the coaching session.
Applications and Advantages of AI Coaching
Proactive executives and leaders will often use AI-powered tools to gain ‘coaching’ to support elements of their personal lives to enhance their performance at work. In this way, they develop their leadership dimension of personal effectiveness, from health to time/energy management. There are currently on the market a range of well-being and journalling apps powered by chatbots that claim to help you ‘grow into a thriving human’(Rosebud, 2023). They may not all be presented as a ‘coaching tool, but even a brief experience with them shows how deftly they provide ‘coach-like’ prompts that explore the ‘what’ and the ‘who’ of the chatbot/client session.
These apps use Natural Language Understanding (NLU) which gives them the ability to understand human language. This means that they can analyze sentences, recognize context, and extract from text to interpret your words and respond appropriately. They then use Adaptive Learning to learn from your interactions over time, tailoring prompts and feedback in response to patterns in your writing, such as frequent topics or mood indicators. Sentiment Analysis algorithms then detect and measure the positive, negative, or neutral emotional tone behind your words to provide empathetic responses and potentially chart your emotional well-being over time. All this is done with a conversational interface so that the experience feels interactive. The app will ask you questions, challenge you to think deeper about a subject or offer affirmations and support. (Koschalk, 2023)
Furthermore, findings from a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of chatbots revealed that chatbot interventions are ‘efficacious for increasing physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption, sleep duration and sleep quality. Chatbot interventions were efficacious across a range of populations and age groups, with both short- and longer-term interventions, and chatbot-only and multicomponent interventions being efficacious’.(Singh, 2023)
In terms of personal growth and ‘life-coaching’ applications, the above examples suggest that AI coaching provides unparalleled accessibility, allowing individuals to access resources and support whenever and wherever they need it. The tailored prompts provided by AI systems help individuals reflect on their situation, explore options for growth, and consider personalized strategies for self-improvement. Additionally, AI coaching ensures a consistent experience, without the variability associated with human coaches. Real-time feedback is another benefit, enabling individuals to make immediate adjustments and monitor their progress effectively. Compared to the cost of a human coach, it is often less expensive, making access to personal development resources more available and equitable.
In a corporate setting, the use of AI-powered leadership development coaching tools is also becoming more available and prominent in organizations. For executives and leaders seeking coaching beyond personal effectiveness in health and time management, AI can potentially revolutionize coaching by offering personalized guidance, real-time feedback, behavior analysis, virtual reality simulations for practice, and curated learning resources for continuous leadership development. (Kerr, 2023). Leaders are also putting more pressure on their managers to spend more time coaching and developing their direct reports, while managers are also feeling pressure from their employees who have higher expectations for real-time, personalized feedback, especially those who are early in their careers or who were onboarded remotely. In these cases, some foresee new AI tools making it easier for managers to provide high-quality coaching more efficiently(Kellogg & Hadley, 2023). There are already examples of chatbot AI tools used in the corporate sector that ‘augment existing human coaching, training, and development contents to scale coaching behaviors across organizations’(PocketConfidant, 2015-2020). Some companies are actively encouraging their adoption to provide large-scale access to coaching and to increase ‘self-coaching’ for employees.
Therefore, on the professional front, AI coaching offers scalability, making it attractive for use in large organizations, where it can provide resources and support to numerous employees simultaneously. Its vast access to data, beyond that available to a human coach, can distill data-driven insights that empower professionals to assess their performance efficiently, identify areas for growth, and make informed decisions to enhance their career trajectories or choices. AI can even deliver training modules and skill-building exercises(Cowherd, 2023)., saving time and resources compared to traditional methods, followed up by on-demand access to AI coaching which helps employees pursue continuous skill development and career advancement goals at their convenience.
The Value of the Human Touch in Coaching
With chatbots able to offer such user-friendly interfaces and immediate access, why would someone opt for a human coach? Experienced Executive and Leadership coaches appreciate that leadership is not a one-size-fits-all journey. Clients are at different points in their leadership development. They often bring to coaching situations that test their confidence, where they are grappling with ambiguous situations, intricate team dynamics, strategic challenges, and moral and ethical issues. These are not ‘transactional’ elements of leadership in which an individual can work through step-by-step plans to resolve problems. They involve intricate complexities that demand a high degree of emotional intelligence, cultural sensitivity, and nuanced understanding. In those situations that bring to the fore the personal insecurities of a client, would they trust an AI chatbot to guide them through a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential (ICF, 2023)? What would make a chatbot a genuine partner in the coaching process?
It has been said that ‘Trust is the oxygen of our coaching practice’(International Coaching Academy, 2023). It is essential in establishing a coaching partnership and assures the client of a confidential and safe space in which to share their feelings and issues without criticism or judgment. Not only is trust required on the part of the client, but the coach must also trust that the client can solve their problems. They must trust themselves as a coach and that the coaching process itself can support the client to trust themselves. This is what builds that human connection that can have a positive, transformative effect on both coach and client as they become genuine partners in the coaching process.
At this point in time, we still have a way to go to fully trust AI Coaching(Passmore, Future trends in coaching: Results from a global coach survey- Executive Report, 2021). Even with technological developments in AI that make algorithms increasingly capable of performing tasks that were once unique for humans, there remain barriers to achieving trust. One study suggests that ‘although algorithms are often superior in performance, users are reluctant to interact with algorithms instead of human agents – a phenomenon known as algorithm aversion’. (Jussupow, Benbasat, & Heinzl, 2020).
In Australia, there are also broader questions about trusting the use of AI in general. Organizations currently struggle to effectively govern AI, with inadequate risk management and governance approaches to address potential AI-related harms. (Solomon, 2023) These harms include privacy, consumer protection, anti-discrimination, negligence, cybersecurity, and industry-specific regulations in sectors such as finance and healthcare. The ethical guidelines required for the use of AI and for coaching must also be considered together. How confident are we that an AI-powered chatbot is programmed to adhere to the ICF Ethics of being able to ‘ adhere to the philosophy of “doing good” versus “avoiding bad”.’(International Coaching Federation, 2020)Would they be able to recognize when it is time for a referral to a mental health professional? (Hullinger, 2018)
This assessment reflects that AI has come a long way, but it can’t yet match the creativity and adaptability of human coaches. Human coaches can draw on their own life experiences and intuition to come up with unique solutions that AI just can’t replicate. They can also bring a degree of playfulness and humor into the coaching conversation that can be a useful ‘circuit breaker’ to tense emotional issues, increasing connection and trust, and evoking insights for the client.
With AI becoming more prevalent, there is also a concern that we might lose some of the personal connections that make coaching so valuable. Human coaches are crucial in maintaining those genuine connections in our social world. In the meantime, we would be wise to follow the advice of the ICF and use AI tools
in conjunction with, as an adjunct to human-to-human coaching. This blended approach can provide the best of both worlds where coaches can offload low value coaching activities such as brief questions, assessment, and journaling—and keep the high value work of complex, transformational coaching in the human-to human domain’.(International Coaching Federation, 2021)
What the Future Holds
By the time you read this paper, there will probably be a new AI coaching tool available. In fact, AI is changing so quickly that it isn’t clear exactly what will happen next. According to Bill Gates, we are on the cusp of a mighty revolution in computing. In the next 5 years, chatbots will have evolved into ‘agents’ that will be able to help with virtually any activity and any area of life. The ramifications for the software business and for society will be profound.’(Gates, 2023) Already, with the impact of OpenAI and ChatGPT, there is a real fear that human coaches will become redundant, in the same way, that electric cars will replace petrol-powered ones. This is a potential outcome. However, just as companies must modernize their offerings, oversight, and governance systems to adapt to these changes, we as professional coaches must embrace the transformation. Indeed, our clients will probably expect that we do.
The future holds exciting possibilities for us to incorporate AI to augment our skills as coaches, responsibly using the AI supports available, combined with the empathetic guidance and human touch that only a skilled human coach can bring.
References
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