A simple guide to making the right call
ChatGPT has changed millions of lives. Whether that’s to share recipes, answer health questions or offer advice to fix a jacket’s derailed zip, it’s the friend we’ve always dreamed of. Always there for us. In fact, some take it as their bestie and close confidante. I think my mom is one of them.
AI bots have proven reliable for sharing advice and recommendations. The question now is whether it still makes sense to ask your friends for recommendations or even hire a coach, consultant, or expert to answer your pressing questions.
Information overload
A few months back, I came across AI coaches, bots infused by the wisdom of celebrity coaches such as Carrie Green, the founder of a large membership site, or an Indian guru, I prefer not to name, claiming to be the world’s first spiritual AI.
I used Carrie AI to ask business, visibility, and strategy questions. She always had an answer, starting every conversation with ‘Hey, lovely!’ I wondered whether the real Carrie spoke like that to everyone she encountered. As for the spiritual AI, he annoyed me with his repeated phrase: ‘Listen intensely’. He was a bot and the conversation felt very authoritative.
AI bots seem to be knowledgeable in all areas of life. Many drink AI’s words like the Bible, rarely fact-checking or verifying the sources. Of course, it’s time-consuming and boring. But an AI professor in a Parisian university, Moumin El Yacoubi, warns that: “The devil is in the details: AI chatbots are impressive, but they make mistakes, barely detected by laypeople. Only domain experts can detect these errors and provide you with an optimal strategy.” Experts make sure to use accurate and reliable sources, something AI bots often overlook.
When silence is the answer
Whether it was Carrie AI, Claude, or ChatGPT, they all had loads to say. Sometimes so much to say that my brain didn’t have the time to process it all. They always have an idea of what to do next, for example: “If you want, I can also draw a quick comparative table for you,” or “Want me to help you draft any specific section?” Even when I just wanted a moment to think, there was always another prompt or suggestion on offer.
This information overload kept me more confused than when I began. A human has a sense of what a good question is and when a good time to ask it is. AI doesn’t ask follow-up questions because it’s trained to do so, not because it cares about you.
Coaches mark silences all the time. By saying nothing, they prompt their clients to untap new possibilities that are often undiscovered. Marking silences has always been part of our communication. Non-verbal communication is necessary in human interactions.
The hard conversation
Whilst I know I can type a question at any hour of the day and get an instant answer, I know that my relationship with the AI bot is limited. It’s an emotionless thing that cannot truly catch my repeating mistakes or self-sabotaging habits or even genuinely celebrate the progress or success I experience.
“Real expertise lies in challenging assumptions, reframing problems, and the willingness to have uncomfortable conversations. This, I believe, is still human,” Hemant Bohra, a communications and PR expert, told me. The hard conversations and that sort of accountability, however great the AI bot is, will only be achieved when a human like me is on the other line. I need another human to stay accountable and feel challenged.
Your network is your networth
Another reason it’s still worth hiring a coach, consultant, or expert is that when you do, you access their entire ecosystem. These relationships are not just abstract benefits. They translate into concrete outcomes.
For example, a coach might introduce you to a former client over coffee, and that can turn into a $10,000 contract or open the door to a new job opportunity. They can recommend you, send business your way, and connect you with people who might invest in your idea, all through the power of their network. With AI, you may never get that business lunch or after-work party that leads to real, tangible opportunities. In any major life event, there’s a human behind it.
The trust factor
Jaime O’Donnell, founder of a company helping individuals move smoothly to Paris, says AI can easily tell you what’s popular, but a local can tell you what’s actually worth your time, offering a lived, local experience tailored to your needs. “We’ll fill the gap between information and judgment, grounded in trust, real experience, and recommendations tailored to the individual, not the algorithm,” she adds.
Trust is a big one in the world of AI. I recently used ChatGPT to redesign my house and it gave me loads of advice I couldn’t act on. I ended up hiring an interior architect that cost me an arm and a leg for peace of mind, as I could not break a wall in my house because the AI bot suggested so.
Accuracy, connections, trust, and credibility are some of the essential things you get when you decide to pay an expert. In a world where most of us live on our screens, we need to return to the most essential thing: human connection. And sometimes, yes, that one-hour investment can be worth millions in possibilities.
Name: Safaa Nhairy
Professional Title: Co-founder
Bio: Safaa Nhairy is the co-founder of ExpertEase.app, an online platform democratizing access to human expertise.
Currently having a blast building a startup from scratch, ExpertEase, a tech company that connects experts with clients through live video consultation.
My mission is to expand our global reach and make expert consultancy available to all at an affordable rate. This is while empowering experts to monetize their unique talents and expertise.
