Are polymath profiles the key to AI success?

AI has a cross-cutting impact on businesses. It’s changing operations, management, and even decision-making processes. But it’s also modifying what they expect from their teams and how they’re organized. This has a direct impact on the decisions of both HR departments and CIOs, who must now consider issues that, until now, have flown somewhat under the radar.

In fact, the desired professional profile is pivoting. Research from Spain’s Open University of Catalonia (UOC) has found that polymath profiles are gaining value in the AI ​​job market based on changing needs and evolving expectations of skills. Now, in addition to understanding and leveraging technology, being creative, capable of critical thinking, and able to grasp the nuances of things, are essential. This is where polymath profiles are experiencing a potential golden age.

It’s important to first clear up the misconception that a polymath is someone who knows a lot about many things. “A polymath is rather someone who possesses relevant knowledge and skills in multiple disciplines,” says Óscar García Gozálvez, senior director of permanent staffing services at Hays Spain. “It’s also someone with broad and cross-disciplinary vision who’s able to make connections in order to problem solve, innovate, and make better decisions.”

Laia Lluch Molins, professor and researcher in education studies at the UOC adds that the difference isn’t in how much a person knows, but what they do with what they know. These types of workers are able to formulate new questions and solve problems that none of those disciplines could on their own. These qualities are what has made them so valuable and attractive to today’s companies.

Knowhow in the age of AI

With AI’s abundance today, simplicity is no longer the norm. “AI is making technical knowledge cheaper and anyone can access the best explanation for almost anything in seconds,” says Molins. “What’s scarce is no longer knowledge itself, but the ability to make informed judgments.” AI isn’t just replacing tasks, Gozálvez adds, it’s breaking down the barriers between disciplines.

Therefore, polymaths don’t simply tick off endless lists of tasks but connect the dots to find keys to success. “They don’t compete with AI in what AI does well, but rather help solve what AI struggles with,” says Molins. This forces a change in how we perceive the ideal profile, as well as pivot on where value can be created. “In the workplace, this translates into a shift in criteria from how much a person knows to how they apply that knowledge to a new problem, situation, or context,” she says. “What’s valuable now is how that knowledge is leveraged and how it’s used to respond to new challenges.”

These new profiles are of interest because they generate more economic and strategic value for the entire company instead of being contained to isolated specialists.

The necessity of change

The corporate culture also has to adjust in consideration of new dynamics put into practice. “Tell me how you evaluate your team, and I’ll tell you what kind of profile you’re developing,” says Molins. There might be a lot of talk about cross-functionality, but if it’s neither respected nor listened to, multi-talented individuals won’t contribute value and will stop sharing new perspectives.

This may be one of the biggest challenges for CIOs, because the IT environment has tended to reward technical depth. “This recognition system doesn’t always know where to place someone whose worth lies precisely in connecting, translating, and asking the questions that others don’t,” Molins says. “The risk isn’t the polymath profile not fitting, but the culture lacking the categories to appreciate it.”

Even so, Molins says this need is already known internally since bottlenecks are mostly due to miscommunication or a lack of alignment with the business, not technical hinderances. “There, the hybrid profile isn’t a foreign body, but rather the missing piece,” she says.

For now, though, IT hiring trends don’t yet show a boom for polymaths. “If we look at the Spanish market, for instance, we’re not seeing a massive demand for generalist profiles,” says García, but adds there’s been an increase in searches for professionals with a strong primary specialty, and a second or third skill that amplifies their impact on the company.

“My feeling is it’ll accelerate over the next three to five years,” he says. Companies are still learning to incorporate AI, and the next phase will be learning how to work in those environments where AI has changed everything.

What the IT team needs

In this new landscape, IT professionals will need to be able to communicate in different languages ​​and understand new fields. The paradigm is shifting, and in addition to advanced degrees, increasingly specialized training programs are recommended.

Regarding polymath profiles and their areas of expertise, the key will be the emergence of three intersections, as Molins calls them. These include business acumen, as something transversal and valuable, communication and collaboration skills to ensure smooth flow and avoid silos, and knowledge of humanities and social sciences, which encompass key issues such as ethics, something that will gain considerable weight in the coming years, according to García.

Until now, he explains, the IT talent career path has been very focused on tech skills, but in the leap to real-world adoption, much more complex questions arise such as biases, data ethics, and responsibilities. “That’s precisely why there’s growing interest in profiles that combine technology, risk, compliance, and AI governance,” García says.

These points of friction will define expectations for what is sought in technology personnel. “The strength of the hybrid IT profile is having a solid technical foundation from which to build bridges with sound judgment,” says Molins. So collaborations are sought after, such as software engineering with AI, data with cloud, cloud with security, or cybersecurity with risk and compliance. And, above all, critical thinking and business acumen — communication skills that have been discussed already for a long time.