Good Morning [%first_name |Dear Reader%],

AI’s utility and promise as a tool for a multitude of purposes is now a commonly accepted fact. And, ever since the first public version of ChatGPT went live in late 2022, there hasn’t been much doubt that AI technologies would get better and better with time. 

The AI-powered chatbot, for instance, has seen one of the fastest adoptions in recent tech history—to the point that, now, some firmly believe that they can serve in even complex roles like personal therapists or coaches. Using an AI chatbot to help reduce the possibility of burnout or serve as a supportive “friend” is now a very real possibility. 

I happened to read recently that Anthropic’s Claude chatbot has acquired quite a few admirers for its “emotional intelligence”—even among people working in the AI sector. I haven’t used it a lot, but the little experience I’ve had with it has been encouraging. I dumped a few things I’ve been dealing with personally on it, and it never once tried to diagnose me or offer solutions in lieu of a professional. It kept telling me to seek help from a mental health professional. 

My conversations with it were helpful, though, if nothing mindblowing. Just the opportunity to have an intimate conversation and spill your fears without the danger of judgement was a valuable experience. And it can do pretty much everything a Google search can, for better or worse. 

But as these models get bigger and better, the question that keeps popping up is: will these LLMs actually be able to serve as complete therapists and executive coaches?

That was one of the things hosts Praveen Gopal Krishnan and Rohin Dharmakumar set out to find out in the latest episode of Two by Two. Joining them for the discussion were Gaston Schmitz, partner and founder coach at Asian Leadership Institute, who helps leaders and teams achieve a wide variety of goals, and Aakriti Joanna, founder and CEO of Kahamind, a leading mental health organisation in India, and a psychologist herself.

Two By Two • EPISODE 46

Where AI can and can’t replace human coaching

Could on-demand chatbots be the solution for organisations and leaders?

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Structures and patterns are the golden fuel of AI. 

Human beings, though, resist measurement. It takes a therapist time and a lot of sessions to make sense of all that is shared. Diagnosis isn’t easy, and symptoms are even harder to spot.

But feed AI structured input, and it will thrive. 

With something like executive coaching, perhaps, the answers might come a little easier, since it’s more goal-oriented. But at the end of the day, you still need that human touch to really hold you accountable.

There was this word Gaston used during the discussion that perfectly captures where the effectiveness of a chatbot ends and being human starts.

And sometimes the second part is the whole conversation. How exactly does AI capture that?

It will, without fail, record every word you type. But what about the smallest of nuances—that tremor in your voice, that little pause before a word—that only another human can notice?

AI has its limitations. 

But the reality is also that therapy and coaching remain unaffordable luxuries for many. A judgement-free chat that feels almost human? That’s far better than nothing.

We debate these issues in depth in the full episode. Do give it a listen and write to [email protected] with your thoughts or leave a comment on our website. 

See you next week!

Regards,
Hari Krishna

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