Who can use this feature?
Managers, Performance full permissions
Available on:
Culture Amp subscriptions with Performance Cycles
Note: This article focuses on how to use AI Coach in Performance. If you're an administrator looking for guidance on the rollout and how to activate the feature, please see Admin Setup and Rollout Guide for AI Coach
Overview
AI Coach in Performance is a helpful tool that uses data from across the Culture Amp platform to assist managers in writing reviews. By synthesizing feedback, it helps draft balanced, actionable, and personalized manager reviews faster.
AI Coach helps you:
Save time: It takes the pain out of "staring at a blank page" by making sense of data from current and past cycles, then synthesizing that information into a first draft.
Improve review quality: It reduces biases and subjectivity by drawing on our People Science knowledge, which is informed by over a billion data points and a decade of research into high-performing teams.
Prepare for conversations: It provides talking points and helps you thoughtfully frame the review discussion, assisting with role-playing to help you feel more confident.
AI Coach will not:
Suggest final performance ratings: It helps you draft written feedback, but final ratings are always set by the manager to ensure fairness and accuracy.
Automatically write the review: You’ll guide the tool by providing context and prompts. It won’t write a review completely on its own.
Replace formal policy/compliance reviews: It does not access company-specific policies and is not a source of compliance or legal advice. Managers must still consult HR/Legal for sensitive matters.
Tip: Prefer a quick visual overview?
Check out our AI Coach in Performance Deck — a short summary of how it works and what to expect.
Note: If you’re using the general version of AI Coach, check out the AI Coach user guide.
Your Privacy with AI Coach
Your interactions with AI Coach are private. No one else in your organization, including your manager or administrators, can see your interactions or the content you share.
Culture Amp retains de-identified customer data securely within the Culture Amp platform to monitor and improve AI Coach over time.
This helps us enhance capabilities in high-demand areas and continuously refine the coaching experience.
We prioritize safety and fairness in AI, with safeguards actively in place, and we're committed to strengthening them over time.
No conversation data is stored outside of the Culture Amp environments
No data is logged by 3rd party large language providers, or used to train 3rd party LLM models.
How to Start Using AI Coach in Performance
Once AI Coach in Performance is activated on your account, you can access it from the employee profile view in the manager review form while drafting your review in any active Performance Review cycle.
Access AI Coach in Performance
Log in to the Culture Amp platform.
Navigate to Performance > Reviews, then select the Performance Review cycle you’re working on.
Click into view and complete manager reviews under Your team.
Choose the employee whose review you want to complete.
Click Coach. A sidebar will open with AI Coach prompts.
If it is your first time accessing the feature, you will see a consent message. Review it and click Yes I consent to continue.
From the Coach sidebar, select a prompt such as:
What are the top highlights and opportunities in [direct report’s name] feedback
Can we workshop my early thinking
Let’s write a first draft
Or, type your own question/prompt.
Press Enter or click the paper plane icon to send your message.
AI Coach will then generate a first draft for you to review, refine, and finalize.
Alternatively, you can click directly into a Manager Review Task from your homepage to reach the same area and access the feature.
End a Conversation
To finish your conversation, simply type End session or ask AI Coach in Performance to wrap things up.
Tip: You can also ask AI Coach in Performance to summarize your conversation to get a quick summary of your notes.
Manage your Chat History
AI Coach in Performance remembers your conversations during active chats and stores your sessions, so you can refer back to previous chats if needed. You can also delete or rename previous conversations through the Chat history.
To access the chat history:
After accessing the appropriate Manager Review, click Coach to access the chat window
Click the Chat History (clock) icon
From the list of previous chats, click the options (dots) to delete or rename a chat, or click directly on the title of one to access the previous content.
While there’s no export feature yet, you can ask AI Coach to summarize your conversation and then copy the text for safekeeping.
Start a New Conversation
Click the New chat icon at the top right of the Coach panel to begin a new chat at any time.
Understanding Default Prompts
When you first begin a new chat with Coach, you will see some standard prompts to use, as well as the option to ignore these prompts and ask your own question.
While a review is still being drafted and has not yet been submitted, Coach offers prompts to gather observations and help you draft the review. Each of these default prompts serves a slightly different purpose, as explained below.
What are the top highlights and opportunities in [direct report’s name] feedback?
What are the top highlights and opportunities in [direct report’s name] feedback?
Use this prompt to quickly generate the top highlights for this direct report, as identified through available sources such as their peer and upward feedback and self-reflection.
Can we workshop my early thinking?
Can we workshop my early thinking?
This prompt helps you validate your thoughts before beginning the review. Coach takes your initial observations and compares them with existing feedback and self-reflections to catch any inconsistencies before starting the draft.
Let’s write a first draft
Let’s write a first draft
When this prompt is used, coach will ask you to share your own observations, and combine these with available performance data as well as best‑practice frameworks (e.g. SBI) to produce a draft. Coach in Perform is instructed to always consult with the manager and seek their input before creating a draft.
Note: If the Manager Review has already been submitted, AI coach will still be available but shift to conversation‑focused prompts instead, helping you prepare for the review discussion with your direct report:
Show me some highlights from [name] feedback
Help me prepare to chat through this review
Find out more in our Science Behind AI Coach article.
Share Your Feedback
We'd love to hear your thoughts on AI Coach in Performance! Your feedback helps us improve.
After a response from AI Coach in Performance, click the thumbs-up or thumbs-down icon.
Fill out the feedback form and click Send Feedback.
What Data Does Coach in Performance Use?
AI Coach pulls information from different sources in Culture Amp to help you create a well-rounded review.
Data Source | Features Available Now |
Self reflections | ✅ |
Peer and upward feedback | ✅ |
Shoutouts | ✅ |
Past manager reviews | ✅ |
Tip: Even when data is available, AI Coach will never replace your judgment. Use the insights as a starting point and add your own context.
For a more detailed view of what data is available to AI Coach in Performance from within the 4 listed data sources, please see below.
🟢 Data Now Available
🟢 Data Now Available
Category | Data Type | Available Now |
Self Reflections | Free text question responses | ✅ |
Rating question responses | ✅ | |
Select question responses | ✅ | |
Question text (not just responses) | ✅ | |
Submission date | ✅ | |
Peer & Upward Feedback | Author Name (person who provided feedback) | ✅ |
Free text question responses | ✅ | |
Rating question responses | ✅ | |
Question text (not just responses) | ✅ | |
Question description (if applicable) | ✅ | |
Whether questions were marked as 'shareable' | ✅ | |
Manager Reviews | Free text question responses | ✅ |
Rating question responses | ✅ | |
Select question responses | ✅ | |
Submission status (complete/incomplete) | ✅ | |
Submission date | ✅ | |
'Shared' status | ✅ | |
Author Name (person who completed the review) | ✅ | |
Performance cycle name | ✅ | |
Shoutouts | Message text (content of the shoutout) | ✅ |
Tagged colleague (shoutout recipient) | ✅ | |
Company values linked to shoutouts | ✅ | |
Emoji reactions linked to shoutouts | ✅ | |
Source channel (MS Teams or Slack) | ✅ | |
Date/time of shoutout | ✅ |
🟡 Data Not Available
🟡 Data Not Available
Category | Data Type |
Self Reflections | Intro text/instructions |
Manager prompts | |
Peer & Upward Feedback | Intro text/ instructions |
Manager Review | Collaborator comments |
Required/Not Required question status | |
Shoutouts | Total number of shoutouts given or received |
Shoutout responses or acknowledgements from recipients. | |
Goals | No data available |
1-on-1's | No data available |
Survey data | No data available |
Action plans | No data available |
General AI Coach & AI Coach in Surveys | No data available |
Development Plans & Competencies | No data available |
Anytime Feedback | No data available |
Note: By default, Coach in Perform will use feedback data submitted in the platform over the past 12 months. You can request a specific timeframe (e.g., last 6 months) to focus on more recent performance if needed, by typing these instructions directly into the chat.
Language Support
AI Coach in Performance is available in multiple languages. For more information on the languages that are supported and the different levels of optimisation, please refer to our Supported Languages in Culture Amp guide.
Best Practices
To get the most out of AI Coach, follow these best practices:
✔️ Start with a prompt: Use the pre-written prompts to get a solid first draft or to generate key themes.
✔️ Write naturally: Use everyday language, just as if you were chatting with a colleague. AI Coach in Performance adapts to your tone and communication style.
✔️ Add context: The more specific you are, the more tailored the response will be. AI Coach in Performance only knows what you share so be specific so it can give you useful guidance
✔️ Experiment: Try different questions or reword your requests to explore different options.
✔️ Refine the draft: Use the AI-generated content as a starting point, then personalize it with your own insights and specific examples.
✔️ Use your own judgment: Remember that AI Coach is a tool to assist you, not to replace your expertise. Always review and edit the draft to ensure it reflects your perspective accurately.
Troubleshooting/FAQs
Can AI Coach replace my review writing?
Can AI Coach replace my review writing?
No. AI Coach in Performance provides a draft and ideas, but you’ll always add your own perspective, final ratings and submission.
Can I access AI Coach for all employees?
Can I access AI Coach for all employees?
As a manager, you can access AI Coach for any direct report within an active Performance Review cycle.
How do I know if AI Coach in Performance is activated on my account?
How do I know if AI Coach in Performance is activated on my account?
As a manager, you’ll see the Coach button appear in the editable view of your manager review form during a Performance Review cycle. Note that the Coach button will only appear when you open a direct report's manager review, not on the Self Reflection or Peer & Upward Feedback tabs.
Will AI Coach recommend an overall rating or speak to promotion readiness?
Will AI Coach recommend an overall rating or speak to promotion readiness?
No. AI Coach does not replace human judgment. AI Coach in Performance won’t recommend a rating for a report or advise on promotion readiness, but may reference available sources to help you make that decision.
Can AI Coach adjust tone, style, and length?
Can AI Coach adjust tone, style, and length?
Yes. AI Coach in Performance can shorten/expand a draft, change tone (e.g. make it more conversational), match a manager’s preference (e.g. write a bullet point review), or align to prior manager review style (when available) for consistency.
What’s the difference between AI Coach in Performance and Suggest Improvements?
What’s the difference between AI Coach in Performance and Suggest Improvements?
Think of AI Coach in Performance as a conversational partner for the entire manager review process - from synthesizing inputs to drafting the review and preparing for the review conversation. Suggest Improvements is a tactical, ‘one-shot’ feature that helps polish a piece of manager‑written text for clarity, balance, and actionability.
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