Practice conversations. Build confidence. Organise better.
RepCoach is an interactive training tool that helps trade union reps practise tricky conversations — from workplace organising to member recruitment. It simulates real-life scenarios, lets reps explore different responses, and builds confidence in having persuasive, person-to-person dialogue.
This tool began as an experiment at one of Campaign Lab’s hack days, where Peyman, Ben and Hannah were testing how AI could support canvassing conversations. The original prototype —the doorknocking bot— was built by volunteers to help first-time political canvassers prepare for the doorstep.
But there was huge potential beyond elections. Poteris, Campaign Lab in partnership with TUC Digital Lab and union organisers, the tool was reimagined and scaled as RepCoach — tailored for the day-to-day challenges faced by reps in the workplace.
We developed this AI training tool to bridge that gap, helping reps practice and build confidence in organising conversations. Just as a flight simulator helps pilots master skills before flying real planes, our AI powered union training bot lets reps rehearse conversations before having them in the workplace. Built on insights from Campaign Lab’s work building a training bot for doorknocking, this tool serves as a practice environment between formal training sessions.
We believe AI should serve in support of human connections, not as a replacement.
We built this tool with organisers and reps involved at every stage. Organisers provided the training material this bot pulls from, reps provided user feedback and helped us to ensure the AI was prompted effectively to create simulations that were believable and useful. But most importantly, this tool exists to strengthen, not replace, human organising. At a time when AI is an emerging threat to workers rights, we wanted to show that it is possible to use this technology in a way that builds worker power, not undermines it. It complements traditional union training while preserving the invaluable human connections that make the labour movement so powerful.
This tool represents our commitment to embracing technology that empowers workers and strengthens collective organising, rather than replacing human connection at the heart of union work.
RepCoach is free, open, and growing — part of a broader effort to make training tools more accessible across the movement.