On Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Coaching and Healing
Over the next few decades, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is promising to revolutionize the world as we know it. In many sectors of society, it already is!
While I don’t consider myself an “early adaptor” I recognize that the world around me and the economic, political, and management systems and processes that sustain it, are increasingly facilitated by technology and the use of AI.
This emerging reality is the world my grandchildren are growing up in, whereas I will need to and hope to have the opportunity to pick and choose where to direct my focus and manage my effort they won’t have the same choice. My intention is to adapt in such a way that it serves me and supports me in realizing my vision in a way that is life-enhancing.
The only effective response to this rapid technological transformation we are all in as small operators may be to “nichify” – that is, to focus on and invest in your personal strengths…which, in my case, means to “go deep” rather than broad.
What is important is to identify and define the competitive advantage you and your service offering provides and then communicate it as a compelling reason for your ideal customers to choose you over some AI offering.
Whether the emerging AI virtual coach will be a barrier to the success of your service offering depends on a number of factors many beyond your control. Keeping an eye to the trends in AI is therefore important to evolving your professional practice and setting boundaries in your personal life.
As coaches and healers, we know how important mindset and compassionate attitude is to facilitating positive behaviour and lifestyle change. It may be only a question of time for AI virtual coaches which like Apple’s virtual assistant Siri, Google’s Cortana and Google Assistant, or Amazon’s Alexa are already in wide use and capturing the public’s imagination. It’s also good to know how the “surveillance capitalists” have managed to build their AI capabilities monetizing your very own digital behavioural surplus. Shoshana Zuboff tells that story in her excellent book, “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism” published in 2019.
Imagine this – Siri in its 10th generation or some other AI entity, programmed by the user to help them achieve a specific goal; once programmed, the user develops a relationship with the programmed Siri (her co-creation), to help her stay on track and accountable to the action commitments made. What may be available today in this domain is a far cry from what may be possible with future AI development.
The universal theme of man’s ruthless pursuit of knowledge and its inherent potential destructiveness, expressed in the story of the Fall from the Garden of Eden; the myth of Icarus; and the story of Frankenstein, and many others, is activated and present in our era of unregulated high tech innovation and ever-expanding development. Human faith and belief in “progress” has brought us to the current stage of civilization and environmental degradation.
The existential threats that we face as a species, collectively, as I see it, are primarily environmental. We are all in the same soup – like fish in a big aquarium with no one changing the water, and there is no escape from this planet, no matter who you are, at least in the short term. THIS reality, then, if you accept it, is also the godsend for it creates an even playing field in the face of global warming and its related geopolitical challenges.
Emerging questions that seek answers from the technocrat innovators and their prospective consumers are:
- Will AI innovations address these environmental challenges and the spiritual anguish they engender?
- Will AI programmers be able to bring comfort, peace and strength to those in pain and suffering created by the “progress” they are leading, or will it serve, primarily to exacerbate the alienation so widely experienced in our technological era?
- Will governments regulate AI to protect citizens from surveillance capitalists’ incursions or state surveillance destroying the sanctity and sanctuary of human private lives?
Until the world recognizes and embraces the “inconvenient truth” as Al Gore so succinctly named it, and the Dalai Lama’s inspired truth “Compassion is enlightened self-interest”, the number of people suffering with mental health issues will continue to grow. In my view, the environmental problems we face in the 21st century are rooted in the spiritual dimension (meaning and purpose of human life).
Whether Artificial Intelligence can be developed to express compassion, offer healing and empowerment to the frail, troubled, ill or dying; and/or support someone in the development of leadership skills and presence and the moral strength of character needed to face the challenges of the 21st century remains to be seen. Until then, I believe there will be increasing demand for life coaching and healing services.
This “High Tech” time we are in is best balanced with “High Touch” coaching and healing – the irresistible touch of the human heart is the essence of life coaching and Therapeutic Touch healing sessions experienced as peace, love, light and clarity.
This just received from an overseas healing client struggling with long covid since February 2021:
“Thank you for the healing, your gentleness and care….After sleeping nearly 9 hours straight, I feel so much better today. Your healing sessions are truly remarkable and thank you Julia.
And a day later:
“I simply had to share with you how much better both physically, emotionally and mentally I feel. I woke up feeling so much better and this has just been slowly improving all day. I can’t help but feel excited and very relieved. Nausea gone (Hallelujah!), and other long covid symptoms improved except for an on off runny nose. This feels like a miracle.”
About Julia von Flotow
