Taking Responsibility for AI Assistance

Renowned executive coach and educator Marshall Goldsmith visited India in May 2024 to share his insights on leadership and introduce his revolutionary virtual assistant, MarshallBOT. Taking center stage at two major events in Bangalore—the NASSCOM GCC Conclave and AIM Data Engineering Summit—Goldsmith also made his presence felt in Mumbai, speaking at the ET HR Summit and visiting Fractal’s global headquarters.

In a notable fireside chat titled “Yesterday’s Strategies Won’t Define Tomorrow’s Success,” Goldsmith was joined by Srikanth Velamakanni, Co-Founder, Group Chief Executive, and Vice Chairman of Fractal. The duo delved into the origins of MarshallBOT, discussing its purpose and how it tailors Goldsmith’s core concepts to meet the unique needs of users. 

“This has totally gone beyond any dream I ever had,” said Goldsmith. “Historically I wanted to give away everything I know to everyone around the world for free. It’s a nice vision, and I tried to do it for 20 years with no success, I just had failure after failure.”

“In 2022, I reached out to Marshall and told him that tech has changed a lot in the last couple of years, and we think that we can build a Marshall Goldsmith AI that can answer questions at the standard you are seeking,” said Velamakanni. “Marshall spent countless hours doing supervised fine-tuning of this system. Marshall wanted to ensure that there weren’t any wrong answers and zero hallucinations.”

MarshallBOT, created in collaboration with Fractal, serves as a digital extension of Goldsmith, making his expertise accessible to all. The model has been trained with years of research, articles, and coaching sessions from Goldsmith, alongside insights from other business experts such as Danish author Martin Lindstrom and Allan Mullaly, former CEO of Ford.

Users gain free, 24/7 personalized coaching tailored to their unique challenges and goals, with clear actionable steps to follow. Additionally, all chat history is stored, allowing users to revisit past topics and advice. For instance, a query like “What would you advise someone looking to improve their leadership skills?” would yield a detailed response with key action points and support, enabling users to ask follow-up questions as needed.

MarshallBOT isn’t just a resource for those seeking coaching; it also aids other business coaches in discovering new techniques and advice to share with their clients. Goldsmith believes MarshallBOT stands apart from other AI assistants, such as ChatGPT or Bard, due to its personal touch, offering responses grounded in Goldsmith’s own perspective. 

“One thing I love about [MarshallBOT] is that it is my bias,” he said. “You ask it a question, and it gives you an answer. I’m not saying it’s a perfect answer, but it’s my answer, and at least there is a credible human being taking responsibility for it.”

While in India, Goldsmith also discussed his award-winning book, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, which emphasizes the need for behavioral changes in leaders. He also discussed the role of AI in the future of work, practicing mindfulness and self-awareness.

When asked about the meaning behind the book’s title, Goldsmith said: “It means two things. One, you’re successful because of, and in spite of, fixed things, and two, the world is changing. This means that what got me to where I am today, is not going to get me there tomorrow.”