AI is advancing so quickly. We can have conversations with technology that makes us ‘feel’ as though we are talking to an empathetic human.
The following written content by Meg Price
Prepare for massive disruption.
I recently heard that coaches and helping professions like social workers are considered the last refuge against the ‘fact’ AI. But now AI is learning so fast it can theoretically learn and replace any human task. Even being empathetic!
Research from Harvard Universityrecently suggested coaching can soon be automated. AI comes in many forms, from those little chatbots on websites to Alexa and many other automations that are proactive like the programs in Tesla that the driver talks to. But advances in conversational AI means we can now have conversations with technology that makes us ‘feel’ we are talking to a human that really listens and responds ‘intelligently’.
So what?
People still want to connect to people!
The work of a coach or health care professional requires extensive professional, empathic, psychological, and other skills like human intuition. How could these replace or even replicate a coach’s skillset soon? Academics are business schools like Stern NYU suggest there are specific categories of being a professional executive or business coach: 1. assessment, 2. intervention, 3. supporting sustained behavioral change. But many of these are already automated – to some degree.
The technology may not be perfect yet, but it is developing at such a significant rate that some AI technologies will have the ability to hold a conversation and be more empathetic than some real humans, like psychologists. This is especially true if they apply CBT (cognitive behavior therapy) tools, as these can be easily standardized and are very effective for concerns like anxiety disorders and phobias helping them feel happy again.
A profession in denial?
As mentioned AI and other online technologies are already disrupting the coaching industry with a significant impact on employment, professional development, and education and continue to improve daily! AI is clearly invading the job field of coaching. Read more from Psychology Today.
