What running with the bulls taught me about AI
New York Life’s chief communications officer returned from Spain prepared for unpredictability and resolved to keep moving.
Paul Gennaro is chief communications officer, New York Life, and advisor, Ragan’s Center for AI Strategy.
One year ago, on July 8, I ran with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. Since then, I’ve noted the similarities between the run and the moment our profession is in with AI – the accelerating speed, the risk of hesitating, and the likelihood that the unpredictable will occur.
On eight successive mornings in Pamplona, as many as 3,000 runners and a herd of 12 bulls and steers traverse 875 meters of slick cobblestone in about two and a half minutes. Each run is unique, but here are three lessons I observed that apply to AI:
- Respect the speed and evolve with AI.
Like the bulls, which run faster than humans and can reach 35 miles per hour, AI is evolving more quickly than most teams can absorb. While we cannot outrun the bulls or AI, we can prepare and plan.
Just like walking the course through Pamplona the day before, and sharing best practices with other runners that morning, we can position ourselves to move with AI’s pace by mapping and improving workflows; securing access to tools and training for our people; and advancing use cases.
As another runner shared before the bulls were released, “we are running with the bulls, not from them.” We must evolve with AI.
- Standing still is the real risk. Move with intention and urgency.
At one point during the run, I was pinned against a large wooden gate on the right side of Estafeta Street. I paused for a second when I felt a hand slap on the top of my head and heard a woman’s voice from the other side of the fence yell “¡Corre!” – run!
It stung, but she was right. Hesitation was the danger. I was close to the entrance to the stadium, which meant running through the “Tunnel of Death,” the narrow corridor that leads into the Plaza de Toros and its crowd of 20,000. The nickname for the corridor reflects the risk of getting stuck there when the bulls are running through.
The choice for runners is when to go, not whether to go. With AI, the decision to adopt is already made; what remains is timing and sequencing. We must move with intention and urgency.
- Expect the unpredictable. Change we cannot yet understand is likely.
The day I ran last year turned out to be the most unpredictable of the week and took the longest for all the bulls to reach the stadium. A bull named Caminante had broken from the herd just behind me, on Estafeta Street, and ran the final stretch alone, injuring eight runners and goring one.
While we don’t know when or how a Caminante will come along on our AI journey, we should expect the unpredictable, have a plan that is flexible, and be prepared to adapt in real time.
Like the bulls at 8 a.m. each morning during the San Fermín festival, AI is accelerating. The choices that matter now are how well we plan and evolve, act with a profound sense of urgency, and adapt to the unpredictable change on the horizon.
