What Is an AI Generalist — and Why Does Your Business Need One?

Are you taking AI generalist skills into consideration as you hire new workers and develop your existing team? In this episode of Work Week, Dr. Kelly Monahan of The Upwork Research Institute discusses the rise of the AI generalist: a new kind of worker who blends AI literacy with critical human strengths like creativity, strategy, and communication.

Drawing on recent Upwork platform data, this episode explores how AI is transforming roles across job categories. Rather than replacing workers, AI is reshaping work — and this shift is creating a talent premium for those who adapt. Learn how businesses can hire or develop AI generalists, and get tips for building these future-ready skills yourself. Whether you’re leading a team or growing your career, learn how to stay relevant and competitive in an AI-powered world.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
(bright music)
- Hello and welcome to "Work Week,"
the podcast where we discuss
one big question about therapidly changing workplace,
explore relevant research about the topic
and explain what it all means for you.
I'm Dr. Kelly Monahan,
managing director at TheUpwork Research Institute.

(00:21):
What you're hearing is adigital proxy of my voice
created by our team with the help of AI.
Our big question for this week is,
what is an AI generalist
and why does your business need one?
Now, if the idea of an AIgeneralist is new to you,
you're not alone.
At The Upwork Research Institute,
we've been tracking howjob categories are changing

(00:42):
in the wake of rapid AI adoption,
and one of the mostfascinating patterns we've seen
is the emergence of a hybrid worker,
one who blends technical literacy and AI
with irreplaceable humanstrengths, like creativity,
strategy, communication,and systems thinking.
In this week's episode,
we'll cover what makes AIgeneralists so valuable,

(01:04):
what the data says aboutthis emerging profile,
and how both business leaders and workers
can start building towardthis future-ready skillset.
Let's start by defining some terms.
The AI generalist is the translator
between business needsand AI capabilities.
They understand theorganization's strategy
and how AI can support it.

(01:24):
They're part strategist,part communicator,
part problem solver,
and crucially, they're creative.
Businesses have long relied on generalists
to keep their operations functioning.
Traditionally, generalistshave worn many hats
and performed many roles,
which have often been codifiedin their job descriptions.
For example, an HRgeneralist may handle hiring,

(01:47):
onboarding, training, and payroll,
whereas a recruitment manageronly focuses on hiring.
Rather than focusing on a single domain,
a generalist works across disciplines,
spotting connections, andintegrating knowledge.
The AI generalist takes this broad view
and adds to it a working understanding
of how to engineer prompts,

(02:09):
evaluate models, and use AI tools,
and they're changing how work gets done.
At Upwork, we're continually looking at
how freelance talent,
job postings and skillsare shifting in real time.
In our recent research titled
"AI Trends on theWorld's Work Marketplace:
How AI is Reshaping the Way Humans Work"

(02:29):
reveals a powerful insight.
The most future proof roles
are not those that escape AI entirely,
but those that are being reshaped
in tandem with AI technology.
Let's walk through a few keytakeaways from the research.
First, AI isn't replacingjobs, it's redefining them.
One of the biggestmisconceptions leaders have

(02:50):
is that adopting AI is aboutreplacing the workforce,
but our data shows thatAI is augmenting work
far more than it's automating it outright.
In fact, in high skill categories,
like web, mobile and software development,
AI hasn't diminisheddemand, it's changed demand.
Today's clients and organizations
are looking for more than atraditional software engineer.

(03:12):
Demand for work that createsrepetitive code has decreased
because of the availability
of large language models and agents,
like Anthropic's Claudeand Open AI's Codex.
However, companies dowant and need developers
who can use AI tools towrite better code faster.
Organizations are also lookingfor developers and engineers

(03:32):
who apply business logicand critical thinking
to design solutions,
and communicate clearly aboutwhat AI can and can't do.
The ability to navigatethese disparate demands
while using artificial intelligence
is the hallmark of an AI generalist,
and it's reshaping howsoftware work gets done.
The second takeawayfrom our recent research

(03:53):
is that the talentpremium is already here.
Upwork platform datashows that freelancers,
whose roles involve coding forat least 25% of their work,
are earning 11% more thanthey did in November, 2022
when ChatGPT launched.
That's a significant jumpin less than two years,
and it reflects therising demand for workers

(04:15):
who can blend technical and human skills
in the context of AI.
What's particularly noteworthy
is why these workers arecommanding higher rates.
Clients today want to work with people
who can do more thansimply crank out code.
Clients want someone who understands
how to work with AI co-pilots,
when to trust the model and when not to,

(04:38):
how to integrate AI into broader systems,
and how to explain it all to stakeholders.
In short, they want towork with AI generalists.
The skillset goes beyond coding.
It requires knowing how AIfits into the bigger picture.
The third takeaway from our research
is that even job categories that
aren't directly beingaffected by AI automation

(05:00):
are changing fast.
Take project management,marketing, or customer research.
These are all roles that
still rely heavily on human intuition,
creativity, and communication,
but even here, theskill sets are shifting.
Project managers now need to understand
how AI affects timelines,workflows, and risk management.

(05:21):
Marketers are learning prompt engineering
to create AI generated campaign concepts.
Researchers are using AI
to parse customer feedback at scale,
but still need to designthe right questions.
Based on Upwork platform data,
we're seeing a broad upskilling trend
across nearly every job family.
Those who can integrate AItools into human-centered work,

(05:44):
the AI generalists, are pulling ahead.
If you're a manager,team leader or executive,
you might be asking what you can do now
to prepare for this fastapproaching future of work,
let me offer a few starting points.
First, stop hiring for yesterday's skills.
Organizations need to letgo of outdated mental models

(06:04):
and job descriptions
for roles like data analyst,copywriter, or even developer.
Traditional job requirements often obscure
the real work being done today,
which increasingly involvesnavigating AI-infused tasks.
Instead, look for skills,
such as prompt engineering,AI tool fluency,
curiosity and willingness to learn,

(06:25):
and cross-functional communication.
In interviews,
ask candidates how they've usedAI to do their work better.
Look for signs of experimentation,
adaptation, and strategic thinking.
Second, build internal talent pathways.
You don't have to lookoutside your organization
to find AI generalists,
you can grow them,
create training andtalent development tracks

(06:47):
that combine basic AI literacy,
ethical frameworks and decision making
and soft skills development.
Explore use cases by identifying
what's possible with today's tools.
Technical training shouldn'tlive in your IT department.
Training belongs in human resources,
learning and development,
and across every business function.

(07:07):
The future of yourworkforce depends on it.
Third, engage AI savvyfreelancers to scale core teams.
One of the most agile ways toaccess AI generalist skills
is through freelance talent.
Upwork customer insights show that
freelancers are using AI foraugmentation 71% of the time,
versus automation 29% of the time.

(07:30):
This means they're notreplacing tasks wholesale,
they're enhancing their abilities
and moving into higherlevel, more strategic work.
As AI takes over execution level tasks,
freelancers are upskilling into roles
that require creativity, business logic,
data interpretation, and content strategy.
They're leading projects

(07:50):
like designing complex research studies,
developing AI enhanced content roadmaps,
and driving creative directionwith AI as a co-pilot.
This offers a hugeopportunity for businesses.
By integrating freelancers
with AI skills into your workflows,
you can enable new ways of working
that your existing in-house teams

(08:11):
can learn from and build on.
Fourth, encouragecross-team collaboration.
The best AI generalists
are curious people wholove connecting dots.
You can nurture this by rotating employees
across teams or functions,
hosting AI application hackathons,
and encouraging freelancersand full-time staff
to collaborate on innovation projects,

(08:33):
give people opportunities tostep outside their job silos
and apply AI tools toreal business problems.
That's how generalist thinking gets built.
Now, what does thisshift mean for workers?
Let's take a look at therise in AI generalists
from the worker perspective.
If you're an individual worker,
freelancer, employee, or someoneexploring new career paths,

(08:54):
what does all this mean for you?
First, here's the good news.
You don't need to be amachine learning expert
to thrive in the age of AI,
but you do need to betechnically literate,
strategically minded,adaptable and proficient
in uniquely human skills.
In short, you need to buildyour AI generalist muscle.
No matter your role,
you can do this in a few simple steps.

(09:15):
First, learn how to prompt.
Start experimenting withtools like Claude or ChatGPT.
Explore what makes a goodprompt versus a bad one.
This is the new digital literacy.
Second, practice decision making with AI.
Try summarizing a complex article
or brainstorming a new idea using AI.
Then compare the resultwith your own instincts.

(09:38):
What did the AI miss?
What surprised you?
Third, blend domains.
If you're a writer, learnbasic data analytics.
If you're a developer, study UX,
if you're in HR,
try designing a hiring prompt for AI.
Look for unexpected intersectionsand ways to use AI tools
to pick up new skillsrelevant to your current role.

(10:00):
Finally, build your portfolio,
whether you freelance or work in-house,
start documenting how youuse AI to improve outcomes,
show before and after comparisons.
This becomes proof of yourvalue in this new world of work.
Becoming an AI generalistisn't about mastering one tool,
it's about becoming the kindof person who is adaptable

(10:22):
and can work with any toolto solve meaningful problems.
(bright music)
Let's wrap, as we always do,
with one action item forleaders and one for workers,
and then a question to reflect on
as you think about the future.
As a business leader or manager,
identify one role in your organization

(10:44):
that could benefit from AIgeneralist capabilities.
Redesign the job description
to reflect the blend of AI literacy
and human judgment it currently requires.
Then pilot a developmenttrack or hiring strategy
specifically aimed at sourcing
or growing talent for that revised role.
It could be a project managerwho knows how to prompt,

(11:04):
a marketer who canleverage generative tools,
or a developer skilled inboth code and communication.
Start with one role or team,
track the impact, then scale what works.
As an individual worker,
pick one uniquely humanskill you already have
and layer in an AI tool toenhance the skill this week.

(11:25):
For example, if you're great at writing,
try using AI to draftfaster or iterate on tone.
If you're analytical, use an AI assistant
to summarize data setsor visualize insights.
If you're creative,
co-design a product idea orcampaign with an AI partner.
The key here is practice.
Build your muscle memory and confidence

(11:46):
by integrating AI into thework you already do well.
And now, for this week'sreflection question,
are you building a team or a career
that's adapting to maximizebusiness outcomes using AI
or one that risks being left behind by AI?
We're not talking aboutbeing tech experts,
we're talking about beingadaptable, integrative thinkers

(12:07):
who can harness tools
to do strategic andcreative work even better,
that's the power of the AI generalist.
Thank you for tuning intothis episode of workweek.
I'm Kelly Monahan,
and if this episodechallenged your thinking
or gave you a new perspective,
share it with a colleague,drop us a review,
and don't forget to subscribe.

(12:28):
(bright music)