Can AI Really Coach You?

Disclaimer: This is a blog post about Generative AI that wasn’t written by Chat GPT.

If that statement is somewhat heartening, then read on. If, however, it leaves you with a lingering sense of disappointment because of an insatiable appetite for AI, the rest of this post may ease your concerns. In either case, read on!

The explosion in Generative AI (artificial intelligence with the capability to generate original content in unstructured forms in response to prompts), has created an intense squall of opportunity, hype, fear and apathy – depending upon the circles you move within and the content you consume.

This technological breakthrough brings with it many of the same paradoxical opportunities and threats as one of the other great technologies of our time: the internet. Whilst the internet appears to connect us to more humans than ever before, the screens that capture our eyeballs and thoughts simultaneously disconnect us from nature, those physically around us and even from ourselves. But as the COVID-19 pandemic made abundantly clear, the internet alone is insufficient at fulfilling our deeply wired social needs. We learned that the internet is at its most powerful when it augments, rather than replaces real human connection.

By now, you’ve probably heard about the multiple ways that Generative AI will revolutionize not just business but our whole society – from good to great to downright terrifying. My aim here isn’t to explore the likelihood or otherwise of these claims and predictions – there’s an incalculable number of podcasts and online videos for that. However, it’s important to call out that Generative AI’s almost unnervingly realistic ability to automate and innovate content generation has many concerned about its ability to replace humans. It’s a debate that has run rampant throughout the coaching industry in 2023, and whichever side of the argument you fall, I think most of us can agree that this discourse needs to happen – AI isn’t suddenly disappearing any time soon.

EZRA was founded upon a belief that professional coaching is powerful, it works and most importantly, that everybody deserves access.

As a result, technology is fundamental to our mission of democratizing that access. Without it, we wouldn’t have been able to coach over 57,000 people across the globe.

But so are our coaches. It’s an inescapable reality, their ability to foster meaningful and productive human connection is a critical ingredient to the success of coaching and the impact we’ve had for so many individuals.

Therefore, at EZRA, technology serves to enhance and amplify – not replace – the human experience. We believe that this combination of technology-enhanced human coaching creates pretty potent alchemy.

This is why we’re so proud to introduce Cai – our AI-powered development assistant built on Microsoft Azure – created to enhance and amplify the EZRA human coaching experience through our Focus by EZRA offering.

Engagement is essential to the success of any coaching or development program. Coaching is powerful because it holds people accountable and helps to bridge the ‘knowing-doing gap’. But how do you stay focused on your development between sessions?

This is where Cai can help. In our Focus by EZRA programs, Cai supports people between their one-to-one development sessions by providing the opportunity to reflect upon their progress. Cai responds intelligently in real time, shares insights, and provides both feedback and encouragement to keep users growing and engaged. It systematically suggests participants to have those meaningful conversations with their coach to ensure every one-to-one is guided by the needs of the individual.

Cai does not do away with the need for real human connection and the irreplaceable expertise and intuition of our coaches. But by engaging and guiding coaching candidates through the process, it perfectly augments the human experience.

Want to experience how EZRA has redeveloped employee development using cutting-edge technology and a science-based approach?

Contact us here. And don’t worry, it’s an NFT-free zone.