Newsletter 011

{{first_name | default: 'there'}}, What Makes Us Human When AI Feels Human Too

I will tell you a story about what makes us human in the age of AI. My client Maria* used AI to create a market analysis that would have taken her team weeks. The AI did it in two hours—brilliant insights, thorough data, perfect recommendations.

But when she presented it to leadership, something felt flat. The data was perfect, but no one was engaged. It wasn't until Maria shared her own insights and personal experiences about what the numbers meant for real customers that the room came alive.

Not surprising. Do you know why?

Sam Altman recently wrote about intelligence and energy becoming abundant in the 2030s. The cost of intelligence should therefore, eventually converge to near the cost of electricity. 

Think about it: when any problem can be solved and any analysis completed in minutes, what becomes valuable? Not having intelligence—but being genuinely human.

People have a long-term important and curious advantage over AI:

we are hard-wired to care about other people and what they think and do, and we don't care very much about machines.

 Read my reflections on what makes us human, when AI feels human.

Back to Maria. What made her presentation suceed wasn't the AI's brilliant analysis. It was her human ability to translate data into meaning, to help people understand not just what was happening, but why it mattered for real people.

The future isn't humans versus machines. It's humans with infinite intelligence at their disposal, finally free to focus on what we do best: create meaning, build connections, and care for each other in ways no algorithm can replicate. It sounds like a good plan, Sam!

*name changed due to privacy

Working With AI, Not Just Using It

From the future, back to today, let me confess something. I used to spend hours before each coaching session reviewing notes, preparing questions, and analyzing patterns from previous conversations. Now AI does that prep work in minutes, giving me deeper insights than I could ever gather on my own.

But here's what changed: instead of spending our time on surface-level problem-solving, my clients and I can dive straight into transformation work. The AI handles the data processing—I focus on the human connection that actually creates change.

I know this is just first level though. Now I am experimenting with actually co-creating with AI.

Co-coaching, if you will.

Using AI as a real-time thinking partner during sessions to help my clients achieve even deeper transformation.

Note the shift. There is a big difference between "AI faster" and "AI first" thinking. 

→ "AI faster" asks: "How can this tool help me do what I'm already doing?" 

→ "AI first" asks: "What becomes possible when I work with intelligence that never gets tired and processes information faster than I ever could?"

This shift means letting go of being the smartest person in the room—which is getting impossible anyway. Instead, we become something more valuable: the person who asks the right questions, sees connections others miss, and turns insights into meaning.

I truly believe, that the most successful leaders understand that in an AI-first world, their value isn't competing with artificial intelligence. It's being genuinely human while partnering with these powerful tools.

PS: Look out for this upcoming discussion with Rev. Dr. Susan Goldsworthy OLY , Dr. Mo Razaghi and Carly Jenner. If you’re a coach, I genuinely encourage you to share your experiences in the survey – your insights are invaluable. And I'd love for you to join us for the panel to explore these fascinating questions together.

Finding Your Confidence Again

{{first_name | default: 'there'}}, in case you are wondering, all this change in work and identity is creating new challenges. As jobs evolve and success means a different thing, I am seeing a lot of talented people lose confidence and question their worth in this AI-enhanced world.

On top of this, unsupportive managers make it worse. Several of my coaching clients come to me after working with leaders who criticize instead of guide - I shared one of the many stories here.

I have created the "Silent Confidence Killers" tool that helps people identify what's been undermining their self-belief—often workplace dynamics they didn't even realize were toxic. It's fun, it's serious and it's for free. Click on the picture to access it.

Here's the story I hear: accomplished professionals who built their identity around being the person with answers, the expert who could analyze situations faster than others. Now they're watching AI do these things better, and they're not sure where they fit.

This isn't just career worry—it's deeper. We wonder, when the skills that once defined our worth become automated, who are we? How should we feel confident when everything keeps changing?

As it looks now, the future belongs to people who can embrace what AI offers while standing firmly in what makes them irreplaceably human.

I offer a 30-minute complimentary coaching session to discuss challenges like these too.

Complimentary coaching - fill out the form to join the waiting list.

Join the waiting list. We'll reach out as soon as there's an opening.

Did you miss our last newsletters?

Inboxes can get a little crazy, right?  Just in case you missed them, here are the links to our previous newsletters:

• Newsletter #10: I’m sharing why trying is your best strategy for change, how experimenting with AI tools helps shape the future, and what happens when leaders let go of ‘perfect’ → LINK HERE
• Newsletter #9: I'm sharing how to craft a compelling professional story that makes you memorable—and how building an AI agent like Cora is helping me do better work. → LINK HERE
• Newsletter #8: I’m sharing how to prep for super-intelligent AI (it’s closer than you think), how to get better answers from ChatGPT by prompting the prompt, and a free coaching session to help you lead through change → LINK HERE

Thanks for reading. Just drop a quick reply if you have any feedback.

Wishing you a great weekend ahead.

Warm regards,

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