For some time now, like everyone else, I have been asking myself a question: in a world where AI facilitates access to knowledge and automates an increasing number of even expert tasks, what is left for humans?
It made me think back to a book I had read and enjoyed many years ago: Vinnie Mirchandani’s The New Polymath. He explained that innovation often stems from the transversality of knowledge and the ability to navigate between different disciplines.
For me, it was also an opportunity to discover the polymath and polymathy. Historically, a polymath is a person who excels in several disciplines and knows how to connect knowledge from different fields to solve complex problems. When we think of famous polymaths, we think of people like Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin or Steve Jobs. They have indeed demonstrated a real ability to combine diverse skills to create value.
In business, this type of profile is often neglected in favor of hyperspecialists, but today with AI, one wonders if the trend cannot be reversed.
Before going any further, I would like to say that my opinion on multi-skilled profiles has been formed for a long time and has nothing to do with AI. But since we can’t pretend it doesn’t exist today and everyone wants to read about AI, let’s talk about AI.
AI: the end or the revival of polymaths?
For a long time now, hyperspecialization has been the rule in business. Experts who are highly competent in a specific field are the most valued profiles, while cross-disciplinary profiles are often perceived as too generalist to provide real added value.
But the emergence of AI may change this dynamic: when machines absorb and automate highly technical tasks, the ability to navigate between several disciplines becomes a real asset.
Polymaths, individuals who excel in several fields, may therefore be back in favor. In an increasingly complex world, they are able to reconcile compartmentalized knowledge, find innovative solutions and make the connection between seemingly distant perspectives. In other words, AI does not replace the polymath but, on the contrary, liberates him.
The polymath, an antidote to silos
Most businesses operate in silos, with each team working according to its own rules, KPIs and jargon. This model may have its advantages in terms of efficiency (well, sort of), but it also leads to a lack of collaboration and misunderstandings between departments.
The polymath, by definition, breaks down these barriers. He understands the language of developers, the constraints of financiers, the issues of HR and the expectations of customers. He doesn’t just connect the dots, he anticipates friction, reformulates problems with a fresh perspective and brings out synergies that were previously unthought of.
AI provides almost instant accessibility to information and therefore makes it possible to implement this skill on a large scale. Today, a manager who knows how to ask the right questions of a tool like ChatGPT can quickly understand the principles of subjects as diverse as software engineering, the basics of finance or trends in UX design. Knowledge is no longer a barrier, and it is the connection between these pieces of knowledge that makes the difference.
Innovation is born at the intersections
One of the most common mistakes in business is to believe that innovation comes only from research in a specific field, but experience shows that great progress often comes from the hybridization of several disciplines.
For example, Leonardo da Vinci’s studies in anatomy inspired his paintings and inventions, and Steve Jobs owes his success to his ability to fuse technology and design.
Polymaths are able to see connections that others do not perceive. They draw on knowledge from different worlds to solve problems. In a world where AI manages the execution of many tasks, the value of humans increasingly lies in the ability to think beyond silos and areas of expertise. Let’s not forget that AI does not invent anything that has not already been done, so never expect it to come up with a truly original idea, something never seen before, specific to your case or your situation, unless you want to explore a new path that could be called “hallucinatory innovation”.
Should we train the polymaths of tomorrow?
Although polymaths are so valuable, they are rare in business. One of the reasons is that the education system and career management are designed to produce experts. Polymaths often perceived as “jack of all trades”, do not fit into traditional boxes, while strangely enough many managers dream of Swiss army knives, while HR only knows how to recruit people who fit into pigeonholes and, above all, do not leave them.
But it is possible to create environments conducive to the development of polymathy.
Firstly, by encouraging internal mobility and continuing education beyond the basic skills of a position, then by promoting systems thinking and cross-disciplinary approaches, and finally by rethinking recruitment criteria to favor atypical career paths.
And then of course there’s AI, which is a game changer. In the past, polymathy was an intrinsic quality of the person. Not everyone can be Leonardo da Vinci; we are not all born equal when it comes to intellectual abilities, the ability to learn or even curiosity. But with AI, a person who has understood the importance of lateral thinking, who is aware that the solution to a problem may come from another discipline but who does not have the necessary knowledge can rely on AI, provided they know how to ask the right questions.
Bottom line
AI is not a threat but gives new legitimacy to polymaths in businesses. Better still, it allows us to create them by “augmenting” people who have intellectual logic but lack knowledge.
It automates what specialists did in the past, but it will never replace a holistic vision, the ability to break down barriers between disciplines and the intelligence of the connections between different fields of expertise or even the people who possess this knowledge.
In an increasingly complex world, those who can learn quickly, navigate between knowledge and think systemically will not only be the catalysts for innovation and change but also unique problem solvers.
Image: Leonardo da Vinci, AI-generated by Shutterstock AI
