My AI coach knows my goals - but does it know me?

This week in workplace whiplash 🌀

From AI career coaches to new workplace laws, the world of work is moving fast. Here’s what caught our attention this week:

• Three Days in the Office: The Goldilocks Zone? 🏢
  PwC UK finds that employees working in the office three days a week show higher engagement levels compared to those in five days. Business Insider​

• AI Coaches: The New Office Therapist? 🧠
  Companies like WPP are adopting AI coaching bots to assist overwhelmed managers. These bots offer personalised support, aiming to fill the training gap for the 44% of managers lacking formal training. Financial Times​

• New Harassment Laws: More Paperwork, More Problems? 📄
  The UK's upcoming Employment Rights Bill will require employers to take "all reasonable steps" to prevent harassment. Non-compliance could lead to a 25% increase in compensation for successful claims. The Times

One trend we’re watching closely: the rise of AI coaching tools. While the promise is big, the question remains - can machines really guide human growth?

The best piece of feedback I ever received didn’t come through a dashboard. It came from a colleague who paused, looked me in the eye, and said something that made me rethink how I was showing up at work. It was thoughtful, challenging, and most importantly, it felt personal.

These days, those honest, face-to-face feedback moments are getting a digital makeover, thanks to the rise of AI coaching tools. Coaching platforms like BetterUp, CoachHub, and Microsoft Viva are rolling out AI tools that offer real-time nudges and personalised development suggestions. Some simulate empathy. Others track goals and generate progress prompts with machine-level precision.

It’s a tech milestone for workplace learning and development. But amid the excitement, one question lingers: Can AI coaching tools really replace human feedback - or do we lose something essential when growth gets automated?

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What AI feedback gets right

Let’s give credit where it’s due. AI coaching tools bring genuine value, especially in large, distributed organisations. They offer:

• Scalability – Support that reaches every employee, not just senior leaders.

• Consistency – No off days, no bias (in theory), just the same level of feedback every time.

• Immediacy – Real-time nudges without the wait for annual reviews.

Used thoughtfully, these tools can empower self-directed growth. BetterUp has launched AI features to support employees between coaching sessions. CoachHub developed ‘Aimy’ to guide reflection and help users practise soft skills in the moment.

It’s clever, efficient, and increasingly common.

But great coaching isn’t just about delivering insight. It’s about how it’s delivered, and who it comes from.

Why human feedback still matters

We’ve all had that moment: a message that lands awkwardly, no matter how well-intended it is. Now imagine that message came from a bot.

Studies suggest we’re not imagining the discomfort. One study in Frontiers in Organisational Psychology found that AI-delivered negative feedback reduced employee confidence more than identical feedback delivered by a human. It felt colder. Less fair. Less... real.

The Journal of Management and Organisation found a similar result: people trust human evaluations more, even if the content is the same.

And that’s the crux, coaching isn’t just about content. It’s about credibility, emotional nuance, and psychological safety.

Harvard’s Amy Edmondson showed us how vital that safety is: when people feel free to speak up and make mistakes, performance and innovation flourish. When they don’t, they pull back, go quiet, and play it safe.

Even the smartest AI can’t foster that kind of trust on its own. 

📊 How employees actually feel about AI

If you’re wondering how your team feels about all this, the Pew Research Center has an answer:

• 52% of workers feel worried about the future of AI in their workplace.

• Only 29% feel excited.

This data speaks volumes about employee sentiment and trust in AI. It tells us people want thoughtful, transparent, human implementation, not just new tech dropped in overnight.

What HR and people leaders can do now

You don’t have to choose between humans and machines. The most effective organisations are finding a middle path:

• Pair AI with real conversations
  Let AI structure reflection. Let people handle what’s emotional or complex.

• Help people interpret AI input
  Train employees to engage with AI insights critically, just like you train managers to give good feedback.

• Be transparent
  A KPMG study found many workers use AI tools secretly. A clear sign that trust is fragile. Make AI use clear, safe, and shared.

• Prioritise culture, not just tools
  HBR reminds us that psychological safety is the foundation of high-performance teams. Tech won’t fix a broken culture, it only amplifies what’s already there.

Final thought

AI might know your goals, but it doesn’t know your context, your values, or your story. Real growth happens when someone sees not just what you do, but who you are.

Sure, use AI to extend access to coaching. But don’t forget to invest in the conversations that only humans can have.

As more companies automate, it’s the human moments, like empathy and trust, that will set great workplaces apart.