as soon as a larger player in tech gives ai coaching bots sensors (to see and hear) we will see a dramatic shift in capabilities and adoption. A software/ hardware combination in your device camera linked to the “office suite” you use makes the feature standard and overcomes adoption decisions. Current limitations are due to trying ti force a text interface to do something that was never done by text.

AI will provide quick advice on HOW to DO practical things. I think people want a more personalized support for figuring out the challenges they are facing. Advice from family and friends, self improvement courses and self-help books often involve generic skills and tools that may more may not work. As coaching becomes more mainstream, accessible and affordable, I think the demand for live one-on-one coaching will grow as people seek to figure out how to tackle their unique wants and needs.

there is an intake for AI based coaching, however, the need for genuine/authentic empathy will only create more demand for human based coaching.

as economic uncertainty rises and more coaches flood the market, many will struggle to sustain their businesses. I think the future belongs to coaches who don’t provide ‘cookie-cutter solutions’ but deliver strategic insight, deep emotional intelligence, and lasting change.

(Based on conversations I participate in within ICF and EMCC communities) coaching is becoming more relational and emergent, less competency model-driven. Accreditation processes, especially at master levels, may evolve to reflect real practice more closely. Reflective practice and supervision are increasingly seen as essential ways to resource ourselves. I sense CPD is expanding into CPPD, where Personal development and inner work stand alongside professional learning as key to our growth.