Council Post: AI Can Help You Think, But That Doesn't Make It Coaching

A coaching professional argues that AI tools can help people think, but shouldn’t be treated as a substitute for coaching relationships. In a post by Bob Armour (PCC), Armour Coaching’s founder and executive leadership coach with 20+ years’ experience, the scenario starts with a difficult business decision and leaders disagreeing. AI can quickly structure the issue, challenge assumptions, and offer perspectives—yet Armour says it can’t replicate what matters most in human coaching: the dynamics around a person’s responses. He emphasizes that coaching is built on trust, safety, respect, active listening, and partnership, citing the International Coaching Federation, and says “safe” means judgment-free honesty rather than comfort.