The Future of Coaching Is Here: What Every Chief People Officer Needs to Know About AI in Learning & Development

As AI reshapes the workplace, Chief People Officers are being called upon to rethink the very fabric of how we support human development at scale. Coaching, once seen as a high-touch, high-cost intervention reserved for executives, is now being transformed by generative AI and intelligent automation. But the opportunity is not just about efficiency. It's about reimagining how we embed continuous learning, behavioural nudging, and personalised reflection into the flow of work.

Here are the key dimensions every People leader needs to understand:

How AI Is Impacting Coaching

AI is enabling coaching to scale in a way that was previously impossible. Platforms like BetterUp Grow, CoachHub's AIMY, and Valence's Nadia offer always-on, conversational AI coaches that can:

• Provide real-time reflection prompts and feedback
• Role-play difficult conversations
• Nudge behavioural change between sessions
• Personalise development based on goals, feedback, and context

These tools are not just passive knowledge banks—they are dynamic, adaptive systems that continuously learn from user interaction and performance data to fine-tune their guidance. AI coaches can track progress over time, reinforce key development goals, and keep individuals aligned with their personal or organisational objectives. In environments where access to human coaching is limited by cost or availability, AI bridges the gap—offering employees real-time support in the moments they need it most.

Additionally, AI coaching platforms can synthesise large volumes of behavioural data to surface trends, blind spots, and development opportunities at scale. This provides HR leaders with unprecedented visibility into organisational capability-building, allowing for more targeted interventions and strategic workforce planning.

While AI cannot replace the empathy and intuition of a great human coach, it can augment the experience by enhancing consistency, access, and responsiveness. Used wisely, it creates a more inclusive, scalable, and data-informed coaching ecosystem—one that meets the demands of today’s hybrid and high-change workplace.

What Truly Augmented Learning Looks Like

Augmented learning is not just e-learning with a chatbot. At its best, it integrates:

• Human + AI partnership: AI supports reflection, role rehearsal, and goal-tracking, while human coaches handle complex emotions and systems-level thinking.
• Contextual intelligence: Learning nudges and AI-generated insights are based on real-time performance data, calendars, and collaboration patterns.
• Behavioural science-backed design: Micro-interventions are timed and framed to support behaviour change, not just information transfer.
• Embedded support: AI tools appear seamlessly within the employee’s workflow, such as in Slack, Teams, or Learning Experience Platforms (LXPs).

Example: At WPP, thousands of managers use Nadia (AI coach) to practise interpersonal skills. At Salesforce, AI suggests internal career moves and learning pathways, dramatically improving internal mobility. In other firms, AI is being used to simulate difficult conversations for first-time managers, or to reinforce diversity and inclusion learning in real-world scenarios.

Augmented learning represents a fundamental shift—from static, one-size-fits-all learning modules to adaptive, continuous, and personalised development. It enables just-in-time support, allowing learners to receive coaching in the context of real challenges, rather than disconnected from them.

Building a Culture of AI-Readiness

To integrate AI into learning and coaching effectively, HR leaders must:

• Upskill managers and employees in AI literacy: Equip them to use, question, and co-create with AI. Offer workshops and micro-learnings on prompt engineering, ethical AI use, and digital fluency.
• Create safe experimentation zones: Pilot AI tools in controlled environments before scaling. Use sandboxes or internal incubators to test tools with cross-functional teams.
• Foster psychological safety: Be transparent about where AI is being used and ensure human opt-out options are available. Engage employees in the design and feedback process to build trust.
• Invest in ethical fluency: Train L&D and HR teams in the ethics of algorithmic bias, data governance, and responsible AI. Include case studies, policy reviews, and cross-cultural training modules.
• Celebrate experimentation: Recognise early adopters and share success stories to encourage broader participation.

AI-readiness is not just about tech adoption—it’s about cultural transformation. Organisations that thrive in this shift will be those that empower people to be curious, ethical, and proactive users of technology.

Benchmarking and Procuring AI Coaching Products

Before selecting a platform, ask:

• What evidence is there that the AI supports real behaviour change?
• How is coach matching handled? Is there bias testing?
• Can the platform integrate into our existing tech stack (e.g., MS Teams, Workday)?
• What human oversight exists when AI makes coaching suggestions?
• Is the data secure, compliant, and clearly owned?
• Does the vendor offer transparency about the model’s training data, limitations, and update cycles?
• Can the system adapt to our organisational context, values, and languages?

Look for vendors who offer:

• Transparent ethical frameworks (e.g. aligned with ICF or EMCC)
• Trackable ROI (engagement, performance, promotion, retention)
• Human-centred UX that’s inclusive and multilingual
• A structured onboarding process for internal coaches and managers
• Access to implementation support and ongoing performance data

Smart procurement in this space means thinking beyond features—it means evaluating alignment with your values, workforce needs, and long-term strategy.

The Ethical Considerations of Using AI in Coaching

AI in coaching introduces a range of ethical tensions:

• Bias and fairness: Is the AI trained on diverse data sets? Does it reinforce dominant norms or subtly exclude underrepresented groups?
• Privacy and consent: Are users fully informed of what data is collected and how it is used? Is there an easy way to opt out?
• Autonomy and trust: Does the AI support human agency or nudge toward pre-programmed behaviours? Are the recommendations explainable?
• Transparency: Can users understand and challenge AI-generated suggestions? Is there an audit trail for decisions made?
• Accountability: Who is responsible when things go wrong? The vendor? The L&D team? The end-user?

Guidance from ICF and EMCC emphasises: always disclose AI use, ensure human escalation, and subject AI coaching tools to rigorous ongoing evaluation. Ethical AI requires not just compliance, but reflection, challenge, and continuous improvement.

Many organisations are creating internal AI ethics boards or embedding data governance policies into their HR technology stack. Leaders should also be prepared to engage with regulators as expectations evolve globally.

Designing Human-Centred AI Coaching Experiences

Product selection is just one step. To design impactful AI coaching, consider:

• Language inclusion: Does the tool support coaching in local languages and cultural contexts? Does it avoid Western-centric assumptions in language or tone?
• Accessibility: Is the interface intuitive, mobile-friendly, and inclusive for neurodivergent users? Does it comply with WCAG accessibility standards?
• Coach integrity: Are human coaches being trained to collaborate with AI tools? Are there standards for hybrid delivery models?
• Feedback loops: How are insights from AI sessions used to refine human-led programs? Are patterns being used to inform broader L&D strategy?
• Emotional intelligence simulation: Can the AI pick up on mood, tone, or pacing? Does it escalate when sensitivity is needed?

Human-centred design means understanding that AI is not neutral—it reflects choices in design, data, and deployment. CPOs must advocate for tech that adapts to humans, not the other way around.

Tools Gaining Traction in CoachingTech & LearningTech

• BetterUp Grow: Hybrid coaching with behavioural science roots, launched in 2025. Combines always-on AI with live coaching and performance dashboards.
• CoachHub AIMY: AI coaching companion integrated with human coaches, focused on leadership and communication skills.
• Valence Nadia: AI coachbot deployed by WPP, Delta, and others. Specialises in role-play, manager support, and feedback practice.
• Growthspace: Precision coaching matched to skill gaps. Strong in KPI tracking and enterprise-wide deployment.
• Elatra: Flexible, data-rich coaching platform tailored to tech firms. Offers modular programs, outcome reporting, and quick onboarding.
• Rocky.AI: White-labelled AI coach built on solution-focused psychology. Ideal for coaching firms or decentralised teams.
• EZRA: A suite of coaching tools including AI-assisted prompts, engagement analytics, and executive development.

Each of these platforms takes a slightly different approach—some embed deeply into work systems, others provide stand-alone coaching agents or white-label tools. Organisations must match tools to their maturity, workforce profiles, and leadership goals.

What This Means for Coaching Standards and Expectations

The AI revolution is placing new demands on coaching:

• Higher expectations of impact: Leaders expect measurable results from coaching spend. Qualitative feedback is no longer enough—data must show behavioural and performance shifts.
• Coach upskilling: Coaches need to understand how AI works, where it supports or detracts, and how to use it ethically. They must learn to interpret AI insights and integrate them into their practice.
• Process modernisation: Coaching processes must adapt to blended, data-rich ecosystems. Intake forms, progress reviews, and session planning will increasingly be AI-assisted.
• Supervision and oversight: There is a renewed role for supervisors to ensure standards are met, especially in hybrid AI-human models. Ongoing ethical review and reflective practice must evolve accordingly.
• Credentialing and regulation: Coaching bodies may need to introduce AI-specific credentials or guidelines to protect client welfare and professional standards.

Coaching in the age of AI will require not only great human skills but also a new literacy—one that bridges ethics, technology, and the future of work.

AI doesn’t replace the human in coaching. It raises the bar for what we expect from development, what scale looks like, and how we define personalisation. For Chief People Officers, the task is no longer just to procure learning—it’s to architect ecosystems where human and machine intelligence evolve together in service of thriving, high-performing organisations.

This new paradigm demands curiosity, courage, and capability. The future of coaching is not about replacing coaches—it’s about amplifying the power of coaching for everyone.

If you're interested in learning more about how BOLDLY can help your organisation, we invite you to explore our website or contact us here.