Going slow to move fast: Tokio Marine’s Bob Pick on calm, deliberate action with AI

In this episode of Catalyst, Tammy is joined by Bob Pick, Executive Vice President and CIO at Tokio Marine North America Services. Bob brings a background in architectural history and the humanities to his work in insurance technology, where he leads over 750 technologists across multiple countries. Tammy and Bob discuss the pressure to move fast with AI, what gets lost when we ignore the human side of new technology and why slowing down even a little bit is a competitive advantage.

Highlights from the episode include:

• Slowing down doesn't make you a Luddite. Tammy and Bob talk about the danger of treating AI adoption like an existential race. When you rush implementation or force change under pressure, you end up creating more problems than you set out to solve. It’s possible to get the benefits of AI without applying it aggressively to everything, everywhere, all at once.
• Experimentation matters, even at the productivity level. Bob pushes back on the idea that using AI to improve productivity is somehow trivial. We all have to start somewhere! Experimentation, building fluency and understanding AI’s strengths and limitations is foundational to more sophisticated use.
• Soothing AI brain fry. Bob references Boston Consulting Group research on a specific kind of malaise affecting professionals who are now de facto AI reviewers. Developers, nurses and many others have been recast in roles that nobody asked them if they wanted. It’s wise to take a beat and ask professionals how they want to use AI tools. This approach helps ensure workers stay engaged with their humanity intact.

Check out the full episode to hear more about where humans belong in relation to the loop — in it? On it? Over it? Plus, Bob's master's thesis on swimming pool construction from Roman times to 1940!

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Please note that the views expressed in this episode may not necessarily be those of NTT DATA.