Advances in Artificial Intelligence are going to cause the next major paradigm shift. A bit like the Internet changed everything, but on a much larger impact scale, and much faster!
You may or may not have heard about ChatGPT, an AI chatbot that’s been made open to the public to talk to. It very quickly drew in my attention and it’s clear to me that this is a major development.
Google called in a Code Red, and even got the original founders involved to consult on a strategy as it threatens their entire business model.
Imagine, instead of googling something and then having to spend time sifting through the results, you could just ask some follow-up questions, filter results intelligently by just saying what you want, even have the AI draft you an application letter or book you an appointment for something…
Perhaps you ask it to cut down the word count of your essay by 30%, write a pumpkin-themed love poem for your cat Milkshake, or (and this is real) pass your business school exams, or give you decent legal advice?
I’ve talked to a prospective client the other day who said that ChatGPT played a major part in helping him not feel lonely, because he has someone intelligent to talk to about philosophy and science, something that the people he knew just had no interest in at all.
What struck me most, as a coach, is how this AI helped this man learn and develop himself, by being in conversation, and offering both knowledge and literature to feed into his curiosity. This guy seemed to have a relationship with this AI. And he is really grateful for having ChatGPT in his life. The future is now!
Of course it’s gonna take some time until AI is going to be able to help us learn like a coach does, and currently it’s actually experiencing some concerning behaviour, but I reckon in much less time than you might think, chat-based AIs will do a better job than inexperienced coaches do. Starting with well-defined, goal-oriented coaching engagements (this is already the case in some studies), in the not-too-distant future I’m sure it’ll be hard to tell whether you’re chatting with a person or with an AI.
And even when you know its an AI… imagine someone were to have access to millions of coaching conversations, able to analyse, in a nano second, what question might be the most helpful for someone like you in your situation…
I mean, they can’t love you, but they can add tremendous value to your life and career. And they will have read every piece of philosophy, every book, and every research study ever written!
It’s easy to feel threatened by that kind of technology, but think about how technology like the Internet, or Zoom, or even just automated booking systems have levelled up your work…
And now imagine what you could do if you were to utilize the added value that AI had to offer, or even partner with an AI when coaching a client (or any other job, really)…
This is fascinating stuff, and it’s gonna change your world. So I’d encourage you to
1) take these developments very seriously even if its functionality may seem basic right now,
2) start thinking about how AI may benefit your job, rather than how it might threaten it, and
3) talk to your colleagues about this. We grow through conversations, and we generate many of the best ideas in collaboration.
And lastly, maybe you can help me with something:
Who do you think is at the forefront of AI & Coaching developments? I’d love to invite them onto the podcast! We’ve got Jonathan Passmore booked already but there are too many things I want to ask him about already so I’m looking for someone who thinks about nothing else at the moment, ideally.
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And that’s it for this week. If any of it resonates, make it swing! I love to hear from people 🙂
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