The Rise of AI Generalists

AI tools are reshaping how we work, with McKinsey's latest research predicting automation of 50% of current jobs by 2030. Most professionals are frantically specialising in one area, hoping to stay relevant.

Yet the next wave of success won't come from being a specialist at all.

The real winners in 2025 will be AI generalists - professionals who can dance across multiple domains using AI tools. And I'll show you exactly how I'm making this work, using tools I tested and researched.

Why This Matters (And Why Now)

Think of what's happening like that asteroid that knocked out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago (stay with me here). The specialists - our corporate lawyers, radiologists, software developers - they're like those dinosaurs, facing AI systems that can match or beat their performance. Bain's research shows up to 80% of workers might face wage stagnation or displacement due to AI and automation. Not exactly bedtime reading, is it?

But here's the thing - it's not about replacement. It's about adaptation. Sam Altman (you know, the OpenAI boss) reckons we'll soon see one-person companies worth billions. Not from working harder, but from working smarter with AI. Get good enough at these tools, and you can do 80% of what specialists do across multiple fields. I've tested and succeeded in achieving results I couldn't before. And if you're already a specialist? Mate, add these tools to your arsenal, and you become superhuman. That is if you still insist on playing the specialists field (no judging here).

The Four Powers of an AI Generalist

Right, let's talk the 4 powers and the tools that come with it. Full disclosure - my recommendations come from two places: tools I actually pay for and use daily, and ones I've researched extensively or seen in action. Why both? Because you need the full picture, not just what's in my personal stash. Let me break it down for you:

1. The Power to Build

Gone are the days when building something meant sacrificing your social life to learn coding. Plus, I suck at punching codes. Now you can just tell AI what you want, like ordering a flat white. Been using Bolt and Replit Agent for my own fun projects, and trust me, if I can figure it out, anyone can.

Here's a real example: Built an app that reminds me when to water my rare plants collection (because apparently, "when they look sad" isn't a proper schedule) - in just one weekend, no coding needed (my plants thank me). Find the problem, offer a solution, release the app. Boom! Unicorn anyone? Seriously, find an idea that’s revolutionary, and it will go to the moon.

2. The Power to Automate

As my mate Naval Ravikant says (well, not my actual mate, but you get the idea), success today is all about leverage - getting more done without working yourself to death. Think about having digital minions doing your grunt work 24/7. From what I've played with, researched and seen in action, here are some game-changing tools worth checking out:

• For day-to-day automation: OpenAI GPTs and Relevance AI
• For workflow magic: Zapier and Make.com
• For getting AI to actually understand you: Promptmetheus
• For making everything play nice together: Postman

Think real-life stuff here: Like automatically sorting your emails into "urgent", "can wait", and "mate, why are you sending me cat videos at 3 AM". Or having all your social media posts scheduled while you're busy having a proper life. One bloke I know even automated his expense reports - now that's living the dream. These tools can handle the boring bits while you focus on the things that actually need your human brain.

3. The Power to Create

This one's close to my heart. In my client and agency days, we'd spend a fortune on production. Kevin Kelly nailed it when he said the printing press democratised knowledge, the camera democratised images, and now AI is democratising creativity itself. My current creative arsenal includes:

• For visuals: Midjourney, Flux, DALL-E, Replicate (each has its sweet spot)
• For video magic: Runway, Kling, Minimax, Sora, Veo 2 (still on that waiting list pfft)
• For voice and sound: Eleven Labs
• For music: Suno, Udio (because who doesn't need a custom jingle?)
• For pulling it all together: Descript, Opus

Remember when making decent TV commercials meant either selling a kidney or begging your filmmaker cousin for a favour? Now you can whip up professional-looking content faster than you can say "viral". I've seen people create entire brand campaigns that would've cost thousands, now done for the price of a nice dinner, sitting in a garage with lots of coffee, and only a few days of production time. That's it. My favourite examples? Check out the video below. For more, in my portfolio under Disrupt https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/stevenmak/

4. The Power to Connect

David McCullough got it right: "Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly." These days, AI helps you do both better. I use Claude by Anthropic, and it's transformed how I think about writing and communication. You don't need to be Shakespeare anymore - though I still reckon a bit of human charm goes a long way (and no, I'm not just saying that because I'm human... I think). Side note, Claude and ChatGPT do more than just writing. I use them for all kinds of things including silly things like coaching me how to speak bogan (it's a special project don't ask). They are super powerful tools that deserve a whole playbook on their own.

Note: These are just some of the AI tools in my current stash. Not all. Perplexity reported the most credible figure of new AI tools launched per month is over 1,000. That means depending on when you read this blog, I may have moved on to other tools. It is hyper-speed, and you need to keep up to date almost every day if you want to be a superhuman at what you do.

Eight Essential Skills You'll Need

Right, let's cut through the waffle. Here's what you need to master and why:

• AI-assisted app development (turn your ideas into working apps without coding degrees)
• No-code AI agent development (build your own digital assistants that actually do what you want)
• No-code AI workflow automation (because life's too short for repetitive tasks)
• Prompt engineering (the art and skill of getting AI to understand what you actually want, not what you accidentally asked for)
• API integrations (making your tech play nice together - trust me, it's simpler than it sounds)
• AI content generation (create in hours what used to take weeks)
• AI editing and enhancement (polish your work to perfection)
• AI-enhanced writing (write faster, clearer, and better than you ever thought possible)

What's Next?

Speaking of game-changers - next time we're digging deeper into AI agents. Not just fancy chatbots, but systems that can run entire departments or business. McKinsey's predicting they'll replace 70% of office work by 2034, adding $7 trillion to the global economy.

Want a sneak peek into these new roles like AI Ethics Officer? Drop your thoughts in the comments or shoot me a DM. Always keen to hear your AI stories - might even feature them in the next piece (with your permission, of course - I'm curious, not creepy).

The Bottom Line (No BS)

Darwin had it right (though I doubt he was thinking about AI when he said it) - it's not the strongest or brainiest that survive, it's the ones who can adapt. The winners won't be the ones who fought against AI, but the ones who figured out how to dance with it.

Want my advice? Start playing with these tools now. Make mistakes. Collaborate and share with others who are already in the game. Break things (preferably not expensive things). Learn what works and what doesn't together. Because by end of 2025, this won't be optional - it'll be as basic as knowing how to use Excel (which I despise deeply) or write an email.

P.S. If you're reading this thinking "but I'm rubbish with tech" - mate, so was I. The beauty of these tools is they're made for regular humans, not just tech wizards. Give it a go. What's the worst that could happen? (Don't answer that).

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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are solely mine and do not reflect the sanity or coherence of any companies unfortunate enough to associate with me.