Escaping The AI Groundhog Day Loop

Forbes

07-05-2025

Michael Hicks is Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Jackson.
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After the past two years of binging on the elixir of AI, I was lured into thinking a sense of normalcy had finally returned when the inevitable happened...new shiny objects emerged. Innovations like Deepseek AI, which is challenging conventions around cost and performance, and creations such as OpenAI Operator, which is taking the idea of agentic AI from concept to reality, are now peppering the leadership agenda with new questions and new expectations.
When these disruptions pass, it is now certain that new ones will fill the void left behind, resulting in yet another vicious cycle. Sounds a little like the film Groundhog Day, doesn't it? In this iconic film, Bill Murray's character, Phil Connors, relives the same day over and over again with much hilarity. However, when you dig a little bit deeper into the nuances of Connors' experience, there are some lessons he learned that can benefit a company's AI journey, including becoming good at something, being present and reassessing your goals.
Become Good At Something
In Groundhog Day, Connors appears to relive the same day hundreds of times over; however, throughout the course of the film, Connors learns to speak French and becomes an expert at ice sculpting and a virtuoso pianist. Based on this article, to master all those skills, it would have actually taken him nearly 34 years!
So, what does this have to do with how a company can best manage through AI disruption?
According to an article in Time Magazine, experts in the laws of scaling predict a 50% probability that AI will be able to perform any human task by 2047. While Connors had 34 years to learn new skills that allowed him to redefine himself to become a better person, companies may have just 22 years to become good at using AI to transform significant aspects of their business before AI becomes intelligent enough to do it for them!
To succeed, companies need to exhibit the same discipline Connors displayed. We have a fundamental choice of either being consumed by continuous AI disruption or becoming focused on solving key business challenges using a test-and-learn approach to AI adoption. When looking back on previous generations of technology disruption such as the internet, smartphones and cloud computing, the ultimate winners were those companies that mastered the technology to become good at something that differentiated them from their competition.
Be Present
Early on in Groundhog Day, Connors doesn't know what to do with his predicament, so he uses his knowledge of what will occur each day to take advantage of those around him. He isn't mentally or emotionally present and instead goes through the motions knowing he will get a do-over the next day. It isn't until Connors realizes he must learn to be present to improve the lives of those around him and find a meaningful existence. This is why he held himself accountable to be disciplined enough to learn new skills, which allowed him to become a better person and ultimately escape his Groundhog Day purgatory.
The relationship of being present to how a company approaches its AI journey includes having the epiphany that approaching AI through a technology lens will only result in an unfulfilling outcome. Companies must realize that AI is a means to an end to improving customer and employee experiences and achieving amazing business outcomes. Those who place their mission and strategy ahead of chasing continual advances in AI technology and learn to use AI to deliver business value will avoid being trapped in the purgatory of constantly feeling they are lagging behind their competitors' use of AI.
Reassess Your Goals
Through his journey of reliving the same day repeatedly, Connors reassesses his personal goals and learns to become a better person by being empathetic and using servant leadership to benefit those around him. He transitions from being selfish to being mindful and placing the importance of others before his own priorities. Connors redefines his mission, which results in a personal transformation to ultimately escape the torment of a never-ending Groundhog Day.
Given the tremendous speed of AI advancements and the self-imposed pressure companies create to showcase their use of AI to deliver business value, it is inevitable that many will place the value of AI over creating value for the customers they serve. Those who reassess their goals in the same way Connors did and use AI as a means to achieving a mission of delivering customer and, ultimately, business value will benefit most from the incredible promise that AI provides.
Are You Ready To Break The AI Groundhog Day Cycle?
The power of AI is now more obvious than ever. However, without first thinking about how AI can enable extraordinary outcomes through becoming good at something, being present and reassessing goals, many companies will unintentionally find themselves in an AI purgatory of their own making. Using history as our teacher, technological innovations, such as the internet, smartphones and cloud computing, have resulted in transformative eras and the passing of the baton from a Kodak to an Apple, from a Sears to an Amazon and from a Blockbuster to a Netflix.
If your company is going to survive and thrive in the AI era and become an Apple, Amazon or Netflix in your own industry, you must ensure your mission and customers are your top priorities. Only then will you be able to exploit the potential of AI to transform your business.
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