GenAI: See It to Understand (and to Inspire)

Experiencing this technology firsthand is crucial to understanding its potential and future opportunities.

Recently, the forum “Latin America, the United States, and Spain in the Global Economy” took place in New York, featuring leaders from prominent companies across various industries and government representatives. At this event, I had the opportunity to moderate a panel discussing one of the main drivers of development: generative AI.

In the days leading up to the event, as I prepared, I pondered the best way to make a clear impact on the audience about how this technology is changing everything.

As an example, might be worth more than a thousand words, so I decided that my presentation would be delivered by a digital avatar that looked like me, spoke like me, and provided a three-minute introduction to generative AI in a style very similar to my own—all generated quickly and with simple tools by generative AI.

To conclude our panel, I presented a similar idea: a brief podcast where a male and a female voice, generated by AI, summarized the discussion. Generative AI was talking about itself.

The outcome was just as expected. The audience, mainly composed of leaders from the public and private sectors, became more engaged and receptive. This demonstrated a key point: there’s a big difference between simply hearing about an innovation and seeing it in action. Witnessing the technology live made a much stronger impact, enhancing their understanding and appreciation of its potential.

We have an unprecedented opportunity for CEOs and governments to lead their organizations into the future, promoting development through anticipation and knowledge. Along the way, significant challenges will emerge, particularly focused on issues such as data privacy or the ethical, responsible, and value-based use of this technology.

Generative AI is key to transforming good ideas into successful, actionable digital models. It is an essential assistant for solving problems that were previously unapproachable and allows us to accelerate the achievement of our long-term goals in business and social contexts.

As leaders, we must be open to understanding and experiencing this technology, verifying its capabilities firsthand, and continually exploring new facets, use cases, and opportunities. This will enable us to harness this true innovation engine, lead by example, and inspire others to embrace this powerful tool.