Post by GROW2GLOW - Siemens coaching initiative for women

⁉️ What happens when the only thing listening to you at night isn’t a person — but a machine? In our community, we talk a lot about self-reflection. Martina Thiem Birgit Eckart 🌟 Susanne Gold Less often do we talk about the moments when these topics suddenly become existential. Some time ago, this got very personal — because Susanne, science journalist at Siemens and the illustrator behind this channel, went through a genuinely difficult time. That’s also part of why things went less illustrated here for a while. Two years ago, a routine check-up caught something early. The diagnosis was a shock at first, but what has stayed with her most is gratitude — that it was treatable. (A heartfelt thank-you to everyone whose work makes modern early detection possible. 👏) 👨‍💻During that time, something unexpected happened.  She started talking to an AI. Not as a method. Not as a tool. But in those moments when her thoughts simply wouldn’t settle. There were people she could turn to, of course. But there are also times when that isn’t possible — like three in the morning, she told us, lying awake, wondering how the story would unfold. In those conversations with what she calls her “inner dialogue chat,” she found something comforting: a presence that is always there, that listens, and doesn’t judge. She deliberately avoids giving her tools human names — because she believes we should be careful about anthropomorphizing machines. And yet for her, there’s a clear line that no one should overlook. A conversation with an AI can feel like being understood. But what we’re experiencing is a simulation of understanding. There is no real comprehension. An #AI doesn’t move the story you tell it forward. She now works with a human coach, and the difference is palpable, she told us. A real coach pushes back, asks hard questions, brings their own experience — and sometimes creates exactly the friction that growth requires. An AI structures thoughts, reflects them back, and stays responsive. Maybe it’s not about replacing one with the other, but about understanding what each one can actually do. Can a machine be a real counterpart — or is it enough that it feels that way? The full piece is part of a longer story in Utopiensammlerin e.V.  🔗 in the first comment. #AI #SelfReflection #Future #MentalHealth #Innovation #Society #WomenInTech​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​