AI and Business Coaching
AI tools are everywhere now, and business owners are using them to research, plan, and get advice. That raises fair questions about what a business coach actually offers that AI doesn't. I've been getting these questions regularly, so here are my honest answers.
Is AI now replacing the business coach?
Not in any meaningful way for the work I do. AI can summarize information, generate frameworks, and answer general business questions. What it can't do is sit with you in the tension of a hard decision, read what's actually going on beneath the surface of a conversation, or hold you accountable to something you said you were going to do three months ago. Coaching isn't information delivery. It's a relationship that changes how you think and act over time. That's not something AI can replicate.
How is AI changing the coaching industry?
It's adding tools and raising the bar at the same time. Coaches who use AI well can prepare better, research faster, and offer clients more resources between sessions. The bigger shift is that clients now come in having already consumed a lot of general coaching content from AI tools. That raises the standard for what a coach needs to offer. The value is increasingly in application and accountability, not information.
What does an executive coach offer that AI does not?
Judgment built from real experience. I've worked with more than 100 businesses over 30 years. When a client describes a situation, I recognize patterns that don't show up in a database. I also know when to push back, when to stay quiet, and when what someone is saying and what they actually need are two different things. AI doesn't have a relationship with you. It doesn't remember what you've been working on for six months or notice that your tone has shifted. You can learn more about what executive coaching with Glenn Smith looks like in practice.
Is AI business advice reliable?
For general information, often yes. For decisions specific to your business, your market, and your circumstances, it depends on what you put into it and how you evaluate what comes back. AI can give you a solid framework for thinking about a problem. It can't tell you whether that framework fits your actual situation. Use it as a thinking tool, not a decision-maker.
Is AI relationship advice reliable?
For relationships involving real stakes, like family business dynamics, a difficult employee conversation, or a partnership that's breaking down, I'd be cautious. AI can reflect frameworks and language back to you. It can't assess the actual relationship, the history between the people involved, or what's not being said. The best it can do is help you prepare for a conversation. The conversation itself requires human judgment.
Can I use AI to train my managers?
As a supplement, yes. AI tools can give managers frameworks, scenario practice, and on-demand answers to situational questions. What they can't do is replicate the learning that comes from being coached through a real situation by someone with experience. The managers who develop fastest have a real coaching relationship with someone who can observe their behavior, give direct feedback, and hold them accountable over time. AI is a useful tool in that process. It's not a substitute for it. Our Management Training program is built around exactly that kind of development.