Artificial intelligence is advancing at breathtaking speed. Machines now write code, draft contracts, diagnose diseases, and even generate art. Every week brings new headlines: AI is smarter, faster, more capable.
And yet — for all its power — AI cannot sit across from a human being and say, “I see you. I believe in you. Let’s think this through together.”
That’s why in the age of artificial intelligence, we need something just as powerful: augmented humanity. And coaching is one of the most effective ways to create it.
What AI Can’t Do
AI is brilliant at processing data. But it cannot co-regulate another person’s nervous system. It cannot create the felt sense of safety, trust, and presence that opens the door to transformation.
When people are coached, their brains release oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine — the neurochemicals of connection, safety, and motivation. These aren’t just “feel-good” moments. They are the conditions for breakthrough learning.
By contrast, AI is limited to transactional outputs. Coaching is transformational because it touches identity, values, and possibility.
What Makes Coaching Different
Too often, coaching gets mistaken for advising, mentoring, or giving feedback. But here’s what sets it apart:
Coaching is presence, not prescription. A coach doesn’t tell you what to do. They hold space so you can see yourself more clearly.
Coaching is disruption, not direction. It reveals the “core planks” of our identity and old stories we cling to — then asks, with compassion, if those still serve us.
Coaching is co-creation, not correction. It draws out new ideas and commitments that feel authentic, sustainable, and motivating.
Neuroscience backs this up. In one study, participants paired with a coach using reflections and open-ended questions generated double the fresh ideas compared to those working alone or with a mentor. Coaching literally lights up the creative regions of the brain.
What This Looks Like in Organizations
We see this every day in our work with leaders and teams.
In healthcare, surgeons we’ve coached didn’t need another tool or system. They needed a shift in how they gave feedback and even sought it themselves. By starting with curiosity instead of correction, trust, teamwork and performance grew within months.
In retail, a leadership team struggling for culture integration post-acquisition transformed their organization through a coach-supported grass roots culture change initiative. This co-created approach fostered change adoption and the new shared identity crucial for M&A success.
In both cases, the change wasn’t driven by new technology. It was driven by augmented humanity — leaders supported by coaching to shift their micro-behaviors, which rippled out into culture change.
Why This Is Game-Changing Right Now
We’re in a paradoxical moment: technology is accelerating faster than our human systems can adapt. Leaders face complexity, uncertainty, and pressure like never before.
AI can make decisions faster. But without human wisdom, empathy, and courage, those decisions can fall flat — or even cause harm. Coaching bridges this gap. It equips leaders to slow down just enough to reflect, to see blind spots, and to choose responses that are not only smart, but humane.
In a world obsessed with artificial intelligence, coaching helps us reclaim our authentic intelligence.
The 90/90 Rule of Flourishing
Here’s the hopeful news: it doesn’t take years to see the impact.
In our work, we’ve seen cultures shift dramatically in as little as 90 days. When leaders practice small, intentional behaviors — supported by a coach — up to 90% of the people around them feel the difference. Meetings run differently. Feedback feels safer. Collaboration rises.
We call this the 90/90 rule of flourishing: 90% of your culture can be positively influenced in 90 days, when leaders put a coach in the loop.
The Future Is Augmented Humanity
The question isn’t whether AI will transform our work. It already has.
The question is whether we will let AI accelerate our disconnection, or whether we will balance it with practices that accelerate our humanity.
That’s what coaching does. It doesn’t replace AI, and it doesn’t compete with it. It complements it by anchoring us in what makes us most human: compassion, presence, courage, curiosity.
This is why we believe coaching is the most powerful upgrade of our time.
AI will keep getting faster. But coaching helps us go deeper. And that’s how humans — and organizations — will flourish in the age of AI.