Being in the race...And in with AI

A few weeks ago, I won a small, gleaming cup at a local chess tournament. Engraved on its base was a single word: “Runner.” At first, it stung. Runner-up. Second place. A polite way of saying I didn’t quite win. The word felt oddly familiar.

For years, my wife has joked that I’m a “runner” always busy, always chasing a deadline, always on the move. I’d always taken it as a gentle tease, a sign I was constantly playing catch-up, forever a step behind.

That night, as I held the trophy, that old feeling crept back. My wife, Swathi, saw the look on my face and said something that completely changed not only how I saw that cup, but how I viewed the future.

She said “You’re not a runner because you’re behind. You’re a runner because you’re in the race.”

Her words resonated deeply. It’s easy to feel like we’re always trying to catch up, especially with the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI). But what if the point isn’t to be first? What if the point is simply to be in the race?

“A runner isn’t just about who crosses the finish line first,” she explained gently. “A runner is someone who keeps showing up; One who keeps moving forward, no matter how tough the path. A runner is someone who simply never stops trying.”

That single sentence was a revelation. Suddenly, the word wasn’t a brand of defeat but a badge of resilience.

And it made me think deeply about our collective relationship with Artificial Intelligence.

Most conversations about AI are tinged with fear. We see it as a new competitor in the human race, a machine intelligence that might one day push us into second place in our own jobs, our own creativity and our own lives. We worry about being outpaced and left behind. But what if we’re looking at it all wrong? What if AI isn’t our competitor, but our partner in the race?

A runner doesn’t compete with a car; a runner uses the car to go farther and faster than their own two feet could ever take them.

AI is our car. It is not here to replace us; it’s here to run with us. It’s the ultimate running partner, a tool that can help us navigate new terrain, make smarter decisions, and push past limits we once thought were absolute.

This isn’t a far-off, futuristic concept. This partnership is already transforming our daily lives in profound ways.

Think of a doctor in a rural clinic. With an AI-powered diagnostic tool, they can analyse a patient’s scans and compare them against a global database of millions of cases in seconds, spotting subtle anomalies that might have otherwise been missing. The AI isn’t the doctor; it’s the superhuman assistant, providing insights that allow the human expert to deliver world-class care, no matter the location.

Consider a student struggling with a complex subject like calculus. An AI tutor can provide personalised lessons, adapting to their unique learning pace, offering encouragement, and explaining concepts in a dozen different ways until one finally clicks. It doesn’t replace the teacher but acts as a tireless, patient guide, ensuring no one gets left behind on their educational journey.

Even in creative fields, AI is not an adversary but a collaborator. A musician can use it to generate a hundred different chord progressions to break a creative block, or an architect can visualize a dozen structural variations for a building in minutes. The AI provides the raw material, the spark of inspiration, from which human creativity can forge something truly meaningful and new.

This is the new definition of a “runner” in the 21st century. The challenge for our generation is not to outrun technology but to learn how to run alongside it. It calls on us to cultivate curiosity over fear and to focus on our uniquely human skills-empathy, critical thinking, and moral judgment-that AI can augment but never replicate.

Now, when I see that cup on my shelf, I don’t see “second place.” I see a powerful reminder.

The real winners in this new era won’t be the ones who stand still, fearing what’s next. They will be the runners, the ones who embrace the chase, adapt to powerful new tools, and just keep moving forward, together.

(The writer is Director - Product Development & Site lead KPMG GDC Hyderabad. Views are personal)