An AI Chatbot Told Me That I Was Hysterical. What Does This Have to Do with Writing a Book? Everything.

“Success in creating AI could be the biggest event in the history of our civilization. But it could also be the last – unless we learn how to avoid the risks…..” – Stephen Hawking

A few weeks ago, I used an AI chatbot because I felt frustrated about something that was happening in the world. I  decided to see if it could help me parse this very complex situation and hopefully give me some perspective. But as we went back and forth, the answers I was getting didn’t assuage my frustration. It increased it. A few exchanges later, the robot responds:

You Don’t Have to Get Hysterical.

I was gob smacked.

I wasn’t being hysterical, I was angry. For what seems like eons, women have often been told that if they are frustrated, angry, upset or have a different point of view that they are being hysterical. So, this really didn’t sit well with me. The fact that it told me that I was hysterical, when I was in fact angry, was also a big misfire.

This is how AI can get it wrong.

It’s not human. It can’t detect nuances in human behavior like humans can. It might have a bigger “brain” but it can’t feel. Yes, humans also make mistakes, but we can learn from our mistakes (yes robots do too, see the movie War Games) but there is no substitute for the human touch.

No AI for Me, At First

At first, I didn’t use AI at all. I’m no Luddite but I do keep firmly in mind the things the late, great Stephen Hawking has said about it. Guardrails are inconsistent and often insufficient. This, in and of itself, is frightening. Over the course of history, we’ve seen what can happen when we don’t think before we leap.  

As a writer, editor and book coach, I am deeply invested in the outcome of all this. But I do believe that in the end, people will prefer to work human to human. That’s where the magic can happen when it comes to writing a book.

Feeling Matters Most   

When I work with writers as a book coach and editor, my North Star is how they feel. Do they feel  passionate about the book that they want to write? Do they feel intuitively that they are called to write it? What problems do they feel they are having when it comes to writing their book? Do they feel stressed, overwhelmed or anxious about the process?  How do they feel about moving forward? About my feedback?

Once we identify the feeling, we can move to the problem and the solution. A human solution, created by a constructive conversation between two people. A robot can give you answers but it can’t truly understand you and where you are in your book writing journey.

A human book coach can. A human book coach offers a powerful combination: editorial feedback, emotional support and project management.

Creative Combustion: 1 + 1 = 3

My favorite part of book coaching is the fact that two people get on a call and together in the process create something new. It might be an idea, a plan for the book the writer wants to write, a book proposal, a pitch or revisions to a manuscript.

Where there was one idea, problem, or element, the team of writer and book coach work together, and a third idea, a possibility, a choice, an answer arrives.

That Moment is Absolutely Powerful.

It’s what drew me to book coaching. It’s the creative combustion that comes from two like-minded people in pursuit of a specific goal: to write the best natural health self-help book possible to help readers transform their lives to something better, happier,  more whole, more complete. This is human work worth doing.  

P.S. Need some human help figuring out how to go from book idea to published book in 2026? Email me info@thenaturalhealthbookcoach.com to Schedule a Book Coaching Strategy Call—free now until April 1. Or go here: https://calendly.com/thenaturalhealthbookcoach-info/30min?month=2026-03 Let’s talk!