a)plan coaching, a leading tech enabled virtual coaching service, unveils a)planAI, a personalized AI coach. This feature of a)plan’s new coaching platform is powered by the latest version of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and engages in dynamic, personalized coaching conversations with users, allowing clients to have the day-to-day support of an AI thought partner. Designed to push the boundaries in the coaching industry, a)planAI is rolling out in beta as a pilot project as the first step in a broader integration. Building upon the company’s vast capabilities in coaching and insights from neuroscience, the generative AI-powered coach is optimized to guide users on their journeys to personal and professional growth.
a)plan is proud to announce the integration of its AI coach into the company’s newly launched desktop and mobile platforms, making it the first coaching company to seamlessly blend artificial intelligence with real, live, virtual coaching. Clients can now benefit from the convenience and accessibility of AI-based support programmed around a)plan’s proprietary coaching approach, while still receiving personalized guidance from expert coaches via weekly sessions. Unlike other offerings aiming to leverage AI to simply boost efficiency or to replace human touch, a)planAI builds on a)plan’s commitment to provide the best coaching experience on the market, enabled by today’s leading edge advances in technology.
Founded by NY Times-lauded entertainment technology entrepreneur, Michael Counts, and Sara Ellis Conant, a leading executive coach for 20+ years, a)plan builds on the legacy of coaching industry pioneer Dave Ellis, author of Becoming A Master Student, the best-selling textbook in U.S. colleges and universities for decades. Ellis is widely considered one of the founders of the coaching and human potential movement in America.
“Our mission of ‘better coaching, accessible to all, optimized by technology’ is advanced through the application of new tools and approaches. Our application is not a replacement for the human coaching but is rather an incredibly powerful amplifier of a)plan’s coaches who are some of the best and most experienced coaches in the industry,” explained Counts.
A new era for coaching
This advancement draws on a)plan’s approach and theories around the transformational power of having a consistent, high-touch, and real-time coaching experience in your back pocket. For this launch, the company is working with several leading AI and machine learning companies to develop tools and resources to make coaching more effective, scalable, and broadly accessible.
In her recent article in the New York Times announcing Pi, the “emotional support companion” from Inflection AI, writer Erin Griffith noted that “Generative AI, which can produce text, images, and sound, is currently too unreliable and full of inaccuracies to be used to automate more important tasks. But it is very good at engaging in conversations.” a)planAI is offered in a way consistent with this limitation and serves as a brainstorming partner that asks more questions than it answers and is currently designed and offered solely as an extension of human to human coaching–not as a replacement for it.
The global coaching industry is poised for prolific growth in the coming decade. The International Coaching Federation estimates the industry boasts 109,200 coach practitioners as of 2022, breaking the 100,000 mark for the first time and representing a 54% increase since 2019. In that same period, coaches increased total earnings by 60%, to the tune of $4.6 Billion in 2022.
“a)plan’s focus over the past 5 years has been coaching for changemakers,” says CEO Sara Ellis Conant. “Our coaches support the professional and personal growth of leaders making a positive social impact. We’re proud that a)planAI is part of a broader movement focused on AI for good.”
a)plan’s changemaking clients span sectors and industries and range from Fortune 100s to innovative start-ups and nonprofits to large foundations.
Find out more about a)planAI coaching sessions and see client testimonials at https://www.a–plancoaching.com/.
About a)plan
With its diverse roster of 60+ vetted coaches trained on a consistent method, a)plan coaching serves changemakers seeking to improve productivity, innovation, diversity, talent retention, and more. The company services organizations across sectors, from non-profits, to Fortune 100s, to early-stage startups and more. Virtual services from a)plan include One-on-One Coaching, Team Coaching, 360 Reviews, and Training.
