“Modern work demands knowledge transfer: the ability to apply knowledge to new situations and different domains.”

- David Epstein

Hello Reader,

In his book Range, author David Epstein makes the case that shallow and wide generalists have become more powerful than narrow, deep specialists.

Having access to a wide variety of different bodies of knowledge gives the generalist the ability to make unexpected connections between vastly different ideas.

In a study of Nobel Laureates, researchers found that winners of the Nobel Prize were 22 times more likely to pursue amateur artistic hobbies, compared to other scientist.

At least 1 Nobel Prize has been attributed to a messy desk. When Leon Heppel found 2 unrelated research papers buried in different layers of mess, his combination of these ideas lead to a winning breakthrough.

The Generalist in the Age of AI

If the Internet gave us all access to infinite information, Artificial Intelligence has given us all access to infinite skills.

You don't need to be a programmer with a Computer Science degree to use a Python library in a vibe-coded app. All you have to do is ask the right questions, in clear language.

This is why prompting is the skill of the future. Professionals who become proficient AI operators will be able to leverage their generalist skills to implement multiple specialisations in parallel.

Learn the Foundations of AI in an interactive webinar, 2 days from now

The Foundations of AI course is a 3.5-hour interactive workshop, filled with activities, games, and copy/paste prompts. If you want to improve your skill as an AI Operator, then join me for my next workshop.

• When? Precisely 48 hours from the delivery of this email in your inbox. Friday 9am NZ time, 7am AU time, which is Thursday 12pm Pacific, 3pm Eastern.
• How long? 3.5 hours, with a 10-minute break in the middle
• How much? Normally $350 NZD + GST, I am offering a special rate for my newsletter subscribers. Get $250 off with discount code NEWSLETTER​

(For my American friends - this is $115 NZD, which is about $65 USD. Most credit cards will handle the transaction, but will tack on a modest international conversion fee, up to a couple of dollars.)

🛠️ (24:17) The AI Corner Episode 29 ​ Watch Now

🗞️ New AI News This Week

• OpenAI released ChatGPT 5.1
• Gemini 3 is rumored to be launching soon
• Engineering NZ released their new strategy, which moves AI from optional to operational

The Future of Intelligence is Agentic 🛠️

I've been leading training workshops for Agentic Intelligence, where I have joined as their Head of Learning & Enablement. You can see some of the workshops I lead here: https://agenticintelligence.co.nz/training​

Reach out if you'd like to discuss an in-person workshop in Christchurch, or a webinar series for your team.

Your GenAI Trainer, Caelan Huntress [email protected] +64 027 575 1345

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