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BetterUp AI Coach

BetterUp AI Coach is our AI-only coaching solution designed to accelerate employee growth and development across an organization. Powered by BetterUp’s research and behavioral science, AI Coach provides on-demand, personalized coaching that empowers employees with the tools they need to navigate challenges, improve communication, and develop critical skills in real time.

For steps on installing the BetterUp AI app in Slack, please see: BetterUp in Slack

Member Experience

Some members may work with their AI Coach independently without any coaching sessions with a human coach. Other members may have access to a human coach in addition to the AI Coach, depending on their coaching program. With either experience, members can access their AI Coach at any time during the program!

As part of the onboarding experience, members will answer a handful of questions about their upcoming coaching journey, learn about AI Coaching, and select the topics of discussion that matter most to them before diving into the AI Coach.

When ready, working with the AI Coach begins! Members can chat with the AI coach about any topic or choose from the following AI Experiences:

  • Role play practice
  • Gratitude practice
  • Values exercises
  • Scenario Simulator

For more information on how AI and human Coaches work together to support members, please see our Help Center Article here: How AI and Human Coaches Work Together to Support You 

Getting Started: Accessing & Using the AI Coach

How to Access

  • Log in to the BetterUp platform to complete your account set-up

Onboarding & First Session

  • Upon logging in for the first time, you’ll go through onboarding (5–10 minutes), which includes selecting your preferences, topics, etc.
  • To start your first session, send a message to your AI Coach from the AI Coaching tab to begin chatting.

Enabling Personalized AI Experiences

To access the AI Coach, you must have Personalized AI Experiences enabled:

  1. Log into BetterUp using a web browser.
  2. Click your avatar (top right).
  3. Select Account, then go to Personalization.
  4. Check the box for Personalized AI experiences.
  5. Save changes.

Enabling microphones and granting permissions

For steps on granting microphone access, please see Grant (Mic/Camera) permissions by browser and device

Assessments

Whole Person Assessment

Members on the AI Coach experience will have the Whole Person Assessment as an optional assessment via nudges from the AI Coach. This assessment is the same as that of our other coaching experiences, but will not be required as part of onboarding. Members can begin the assessment and return to complete it at a later time if they do not complete it in one sitting.

After the member completes the assessment fully, they will be presented with a report detailing the results of their assessment. A tab on the left-hand sidebar will return them to that report instead of the assessment.

360 Feedback Assessment

For those enrolled in a BetterUp program featuring this assessment, the 360 Feedback process offers a valuable opportunity to understand your strengths and areas for growth. This process, taking roughly 20 minutes, involves soliciting feedback from colleagues to provide a well-rounded view of your performance. Members taking part in this assessment will not only receive quantitative scores but also open-ended feedback from their team.

For full details on the 360 Feedback Assessment, please see: 360 Feedback Assessment Guide for Members

Other Assessments

Members on the AI Coach experience do not complete Reflection Points or Manager Feedback assessments, as these are not available.

Features & Functionality

Chat & Voice Interaction - You can interact with the AI Coach via text or voice.

  • On desktop/browser: Use the speaker icon for narration enablement, and the microphone icon located on the main chat box space to speak.

    Additionally, the AI Coach can be directly spoken to using voice mode. A waveform animation will be displayed in the text box when the AI Coach is listening, with an X button to end the voice session. The conversation transcript will be visible above, and the AI Coach will respond via voice. Please note that voice mode is currently only available for iOS and United States users.

  • On mobile: Tap the audio icon located on your mobile device, just like sending a voice text in a messaging app. Your AI Coach will respond with both narration and text transcript. Voice mode will continue to work even if the phone screen is locked. Please note that voice mode is currently only available for iOS and United States users.

AI Experiences - AI Experiences may be self-selected on the left, or they will be recommended in the flow of conversation by your AI Coach.

Resources & Activities - Rather than assigning activities and resources like the traditional coaching experience, the AI Coach recommends exercises, next steps, or AI Experiences during your conversations. AI Coach recommended resources can be found after a conversation has made progress, and then selecting the right angle bracket on the upper right corner to open the Insights Panel on the right. A challenge will be saved, resources recommended, as well as conversation themes. 

Past Chats - You can view past conversations. You may rename or delete them (use the “…” menu next to a chat to do so). 

Language Support - The AI Coach product is available in the languages the BetterUp platform officially supports. Within the AI chat itself, the coach can respond in over 200 languages if you speak to it in them.

Voice / Tone Customization - During onboarding, you can set how directive or facilitative the AI Coach is. You can also request tone adjustments (e.g. more empathy, more direct, offer relevant frameworks and strategies, provide expert guidance and suggestions) during sessions.

Scheduling & Reminders - You can set up weekly check-ins to stay consistent, and reminders are part of that feature. Select the right angle bracket in the upper right corner. The Insights Panel on the right will display any past conversations with this feature.

Member FAQs

How is AI Coach different from our other products?

  • BetterUp LeadTM: Empowers leaders and critical talent to drive org transformation and business imperatives through unlimited professional coaching.

  • BetterUp ReadyTM: Empowers individual contributors with resilience and readiness to thrive through change and drive peak performance through unlimited personal coaching.

  • BetterUp ManageTM: Enables every manager to learn critical manager effectiveness skills through always-on, AI-powered prescriptive learning journeys.

  • BetterUp AI Coach: Offers in-the-moment guidance for everyone through personalized AI coaching.

Can members upload files, attachments, or previous assessment reports to share with the AI Coach?

Members can copy/paste information into the chat with their AI Coach, but there is no upload function currently. Avoid sharing proprietary or confidential information.

Can I download transcripts of my chats?

No, downloading transcripts is not available right now. You can use the copy/paste icon to copy and paste portions of your AI Coach conversations.

Is there a mobile app for the BetterUp AI Coach?

Yes, the AI Coach is available in the BetterUp mobile app for both iOS and Android devices.

Can I delete or rename my chats with my AI Coach?

Yes, you can delete or rename your chats with your AI Coach by following the below steps:

  1. Log into the BetterUp platform via a web browser
  2. Select the AI Coaching tab
  3. Hover over the chat you'd like to rename or delete
  4. Select the ellipses (...)
  5. Select Rename or Delete. 
    • Please note that by deleting your chat, this is a permanent deletion, and the chat will not be able to recovered.
  6. If deleting, select Delete again to finalize your selection
  7. If renaming, type the new name in the field

When I open a resource from my AI Coach, it states I’ve reached my article limit and need to pay.

If you come across a resource that is being blocked by a paywall, please reach out to Support to notify them about the issue. 

Can I share confidential business information with the AI Coach?

It is not recommended to share confidential business information with the AI Coach. The AI Coach is designed to support your personal and professional growth without sharing sensitive company data.

Is the AI coach familiar with my organizational context?

Yes, employers typically share some context around internal high impact behaviors, values, or architecture, for example, that drive growth.

Privacy & Consent with AI Features

  • All conversations are private. BetterUp does not share individual coaching content with your employer. Only aggregated, anonymized insights (topics trending, usage, etc.) are visible to admins.
  • Member data is stored on secure AWS servers (US or Germany), encrypted in transit and at rest. Access is tightly controlled.
  • The AI Coach uses guardrails for sensitive topics. It may redirect you to appropriate resources if something is beyond the coaching scope.
  • BetterUp does not use member data to train foundational AI models. The AI Coach is built upon large language models, but BetterUp layers on its own science-backed knowledge rather than using your data as training material.

For questions or concerns about privacy and consent with AI features, please see our AI-specific Privacy Policy here: https://www.betterup.com/betterupai-privacy 

 

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