u/chroma900

I’ve been thinking a lot about AI in coaching lately, and I keep checking in with myself on one specific trend: AI-only coaching.

To be clear, I’m not anti-AI. I do use it, see real value in it, and think it can genuinely help in coaching, particularly beforeand after sessions.

But something about AI-only coaching (i.e., during the session) doesn’t sit quite right with me.

I’m a coach and a psychologist, so maybe I’m extra sensitive to this, but I think something important is getting lost in the conversation. Something hard to measure/name and easy to overlook.

In real coaching/therapy/helping work, there are two people being affected.

A client shares something.
The coach is moved by it (sometimes subtly, sometimes strongly).
That shift in the coach changes what happens next - the pacing, the question, the silence, the tone, the risk they take, the way they hold the moment, etc.

So coaching isn’t just “good technique” or the right questions... it’s an embodied, relational process. The coach responds in a particular way because they are, at times, emotionally impacted by what the client shares (or how they share it).

AI can generate thoughtful responses. It can simulate empathy really well. It can even feel “spot on” in the moment.

But it can’t actually be affected by the person in front of it.
It can’t care in the human sense.
It can’t carry emotional consequence between sessions.

So the loop becomes one-way. It's not a real relationship that's happening.

And maybe that’s my core concern: we’re talking a lot about what AI can produce, but not enough about what becomes impossible when the coaching relationship is no longer between two bodies with nervous systems.

I still think AI has a meaningful role here. I just think the role should be support around the human relationship, not substitution for it, lest we lose something critical but ineffable.

Curious how others here see this, especially those of you who use AI for related purposes. What are your thoughts?

I posted recently about keeping coaching human as AI gets more common, and a few people asked for practical examples.

So I’m not using AI to coach people for me. I’m using it for the work around coaching so I can be more present in real sessions with clients.

A few examples:

• pre-session prep (pull themes from notes/intake)
• between-session check-ins/prompts
• spotting patterns over time across notes
• drafting exercises/homework ideas
• turning messy notes into recap + action steps
• drafting follow-up messages/resources (human-edited)
• admin tasks like scheduling/comms

Stuff to avoid:

• replacing live coaching presence
• letting AI make judgment calls
• anything that weakens trust/confidentiality

Rule of thumb: AI around the relationship, not instead of it.

How are others drawing the line between useful AI support and overreach in coaching?