AI, Coaching, and Why Motivation Still Needs Humans

AI has become remarkably good at giving advice. In coaching and development, it can offer frameworks, prompts, reflections, and structure — often with impressive clarity. And yet, something essential is missing.

I often think about this through a personal trainer analogy.

There are countless fitness apps available. They create training plans, track progress, adapt routines — everything you need in theory to get fitter.

In reality, I don’t use them. If I had a personal trainer, I think that my behaviour would be completely different. Why? Because motivation isn’t the same as advice.

A personal trainer doesn’t just tell you what to do — they create commitment through presence. You show up because someone is waiting. You push harder because someone is watching. You follow through because walking away has a relational cost.

The same applies to coaching and development. Human coaches create a shared commitment:

• Someone holds you accountable

• Someone notices how you show up

• Someone is invested in your progress

AI, by contrast, has no stake. It doesn’t care if you disengage, postpone, or abandon the work.

And feedback matters too. A human coach (like a trainer) doesn’t just track outcomes — they notice effort, avoidance, confidence, energy, and momentum. That kind of feedback is still deeply human.

None of this diminishes AI’s value. AI is a powerful supporting tool for reflection and learning. But development isn’t only cognitive. It’s emotional, relational, and motivational.

AI can help you understand what to change.

Humans help you commit to actually changing it.