The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Future of Coaching

The future of coaching with respect to Artificial Intelligence (AI) often leaves many coaches apprehensive, while others dismiss it as a domain that can only be navigated by humans.

I posit the reality falls somewhere in the middle. A decade from now, I envisage about 95% of worldwide business and life coaching sessions will be conducted by AI coaches. Consequently, the coaching industry will be twentyfold larger than it is today as AI will make this service affordable and accessible to nearly everyone.

Keep in mind that predictions about the future are likely to be imperfect, so regard this as food for thought rather than a directive for action. However, my experience with Chatbot Coach propels me to make such forecasts.

Let's dissect this even more.

The driving force behind evolution is value. Period. The coaching market is witnessing a surge, with the advent of B2B coaching marketplace startups. Firms such as BetterUp, backed by British royalty and valued at $1.7B, signify the initial phase of this evolution, with automation set to supplant such marketplaces.

To understand why this is occurring, let's consider the value that businesses seek to harness. Consider an AI coach that could provide you with the following benefits in the foreseeable future, almost cost-free and with seamless functionality.

An AI coach will:

• Deliver a range of tools and frameworks from the realms of psychology, behavioral sciences, business, and philosophy to assist you in achieving personal and professional excellence.
• Offer feedback on cognitive and behavioral patterns, and new perspectives for decision-making. Just like successful individuals like Warren Buffet and Ray Dalio do, AI coaching could simplify reflection on values and mental models and avail these tools to everyone.
• Help hold you accountable during the process.
• Make you feel understood, supported, and secure when stepping out of your comfort zone.

While initially, an AI coach may not match the effectiveness of a seasoned human coach with a psychology PhD, it can simultaneously serve billions of people at minimal cost. Additionally, AI coaching has some distinct advantages.

For instance, it has access to a vast library of exercises and frameworks, and a flawless memory of its user. Furthermore, it lacks the "noise" in decision making that Daniel Kahneman cited as a larger impediment to decision-making than bias in his 2021 publication.

In 2030, everyday conversations with our smartphones might include queries like "What are my values?", "Is my belief true?", "Would this decision matter in five years?", and so forth.

We will be transitioning from an "experience economy" to a "meaning economy" by the 2030s. As philosophers throughout history have proclaimed, self-transcendence offers profound meaning.

The coaching market will evolve, expand and mature once AI reaches an advanced stage of development and the service gains widespread acceptance. Whether it'll take 2, 5, or 7 years is uncertain, but I am convinced that by 2030, having an AI coach will be as commonplace as sharing personal thoughts and photos on social media.

AI coaching is a tool, not a method, to complete the quest started by ancient Athenian philosophers: to live examined lives, know ourselves and achieve human excellence. As innovative coaches today could become more specialized in the future, AI coaches can provide basic self- and professional development that everyone can afford.