Ever wondered what it’s like to have a life coach? No, we’re not talking about an individual with years of training and certificates hanging on their walls, but rather a chatbot powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Yes, you heard it right! AI has infiltrated our daily lives in more ways than one, and it’s here to stay. From being a helpful assistant in online shopping to becoming a full-fledged life coach, AI is reshaping the way we live and operate.
The most recent development in this sphere revolves around using AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Bard for more ambitious tasks like setting goals and organizing our lives to achieve them. They can not only help form a robust action plan but also assist in forming new habits and integrating them into your schedule. But how exactly does this work? Let’s delve deeper.
From Personal Assistants to Life Coaches
Imagine setting a goal to run a marathon. You’ve just finished reading a self-help book with pertinent advice, say, “Slow AF Run Club: The Ultimate Guide for Anyone Who Wants to Run.” The next step is choosing a chatbot, for instance, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, with web browsing enabled since the book is fairly new. Then, you prompt the chatbot to act as a life coach, provide it with details about your current situation and goals, and voila! It comes up with strategies to help you make better decisions and reach your objectives. This could involve offering advice on various topics, such as creating plans for achieving success or dealing with difficult emotions.
A New Generation of Chatbots
Chatbots powered by artificial intelligence have the potential to upend the economics of the internet, turning today’s powerhouses into has-beens and creating the industry’s next giants. AI models like ChatGPT have been making headlines for their ability to respond to complex questions, write poetry, generate code, plan vacations, and translate languages. GPT-4, the latest version introduced in mid-March, can even respond to images and ace the Uniform Bar Exam.
AI chatbots, like Bing from Microsoft, Bard from Google, and Ernie from Baidu, can have open-ended text conversations on virtually any topic, with capabilities ranging from drafting emails and poems to generating ideas, writing blog posts, and answering questions with facts or opinions.
Making the Most of AI for Fitness Goals
When it comes to achieving your marathon goal, the AI chatbot could advise you to start with four 30-minute walks a week for the first month. This is to get you accustomed to physical activity. On the second month, the frequency is maintained, but jogging is incorporated. And by the third month, the focus is on jogging, and the total time of your sessions increases to 45 minutes.
The fun doesn’t end here. You can connect your AI chatbot with your Google Calendar using a plug-in automation tool like Zapier, and ask it to automatically integrate these workout recommendations into your calendar. What’s more, as you progress with your plan, the bot will adjust the durations of your runs and your calendar events will change to reflect that.
Transforming Your To-Do List
For the ones who prefer the traditional to-do list, the AI chatbot has got you covered. You can share your to-do list with your chatbot life coach, who will add the workouts to your list according to the proposed schedule. This can include any of your life goals — such as saving money to buy a house, or setting yourself up to get a promotion at work. This way, a bit of automation can turn vague advice into a more actionable plan.
The Power of Positive Reinforcement
The AI chatbot doesn’t stop at just providing a running plan. It also serves as a source of motivation and support. When you share your concerns or fears, it takes those into account and offers encouraging and positive advice. For instance, if you share that you’re overweight and out of shape, the chatbot will remind you that the goal is to run a marathon, not to lose weight, and to find joy in the process of running while removing shame. It might even encourage you to join a community of runners, either in real life or online in communities like Reddit or Strava.
AI is no longer a distant, futuristic concept but is here right now, integrating seamlessly into our lives, and it’s only going to evolve further. As we adapt to these technological advancements, it’s important to leverage them to our advantage. By incorporating AI into our daily routines, we can turn our vague goals into tangible, actionable plans, leading to a more organized and productive life.
