A visually engaging and futuristic image depicting the concept of an AI Generalist. The scene shows a person in a sleek modern workspace surrounded by categories of AI Tools.

Skills and Tools of an AI Generalist

Brian Charlonis

This past weekend, I stumbled upon a concept that completely reshaped the way I think about the future of work: the difference between AI Specialists and AI Generalists. It wasn’t just a casual scroll through social media that sparked this realization—it was a deep dive into the ideas shared by Liam Ottley, founder of Morningside AI, who spoke about how AI is reshaping professional landscapes.

The premise was simple but profound: specialists excel at using AI for one specific task, while generalists are fluent across a wide variety of AI tools, capable of completing the tasks of specialists with at least 80% proficiency. The comparison to evolution—specialists like the cheetah, highly adapted to sprinting, and generalists like the rat, adaptable to many environments—hit home. Generalists, it seems, are poised to thrive in a rapidly evolving world. And I’ve decided to become one. Thanks for the inspiration Liam.

AI Generalists Matter

AI is advancing at lightning speed, and no profession is completely safe from disruption. Whether you’re a designer, developer, marketer, or writer, the question isn’t if AI will impact your work—it’s how. But while this uncertainty can feel overwhelming, it also creates opportunity. AI Generalists are uniquely positioned to harness the power of AI to tackle diverse challenges, streamline workflows, and create value in ways specialists can’t match.

This versatility doesn’t just safeguard against job displacement—it opens doors to innovation, entrepreneurship, and a future where humans and AI collaborate seamlessly. Inspired by this vision, I decided to create a 30-day action plan to build the skills necessary to thrive as an AI Generalist.

The Skills & Tools of an AI Generalist

Liam outlined Four Key Categories and Eight Skills that aspiring AI Generalists should master. Each category reflects a critical capability in the AI-powered world. Liam introduced many AI tools available today to understand his concept.

Category 1. Power to Build

This category focuses on creating tools and applications without needing advanced coding knowledge.

  • Skill 1. Creating Custom AI Tools
    • Bolt.new – A simple web tool that allows users to quickly create new files in specific applications with just a URL. By using the service, you can instantly create documents in apps like Google Docs, Google Sheets, and others with a specific format, just by typing a URL in your browser.
    • Replit Agent – A feature within Replit, an online development environment that allows users to write, run, and collaborate on code directly in the browser. Replit Agent is a tool designed to help automate tasks, interact with external services, and create custom workflows, all within Replit’s platform.
  • Examples: Developing a no-code lead generator application for a business

Category 2. Power to Automate

Automation is key to reducing repetitive work and creating AI agents that function as 24/7 digital workers.

  • Skill 2. AI Agent Development
    • ChatGPT – An AI chatbot created by OpenAI. It’s designed to understand and generate human-like text responses in natural language.
    • Relevance AI – A platform that focuses on helping businesses make use of artificial intelligence to enhance their data analysis, search, and recommendation systems. It provides tools for building smarter, AI-powered search and recommendation engines, allowing businesses to offer personalized and relevant content or products to users.
  • Skill 3. AI Workflow Automation with No-Code
    • Zapier – An online automation tool that helps connect different apps and services to automate workflows. It allows users to create “Zaps” (automated workflows) that link apps together, enabling tasks to be performed automatically without manual intervention. It’s especially useful for integrating apps that don’t natively support each other.
    • Make.com – (Formerly known as Integromat) is an online automation platform that allows users to connect various apps and services to automate workflows without needing to write code. It enables users to build complex integrations between different tools, streamlining processes and saving time on repetitive tasks.
  • Skill 4. Prompt Engineering
    • Promptmetheus – A creative AI tool designed to help users craft better and more effective prompts for generative AI models like ChatGPT, MidJourney, or Stable Diffusion. It serves as a “prompt assistant,” offering suggestions, refinements, or templates to ensure high-quality outputs from AI systems.
  • Skill 5. API Integration
    • Examples: Automating meeting scheduling, writing blog posts, and updating spreadsheets.
    • Postman – A widely used API development and testing platform that simplifies building, testing, and monitoring APIs. It provides developers with tools to create requests, automate tests, and collaborate on API projects.

Category 3. Power to Create

AI enables professional-grade content creation in various mediums, from images to videos and music.

  • Skill 6. Content Creation
    • Examples: Designing a logo, producing a short video, or creating background music for a project.
    • MidJourney – An AI-powered tool designed to create high-quality, artistic images from text prompts. It uses deep learning to generate unique and visually compelling artwork, often with surreal or imaginative aesthetics.
    • Replicate – A platform that allows users to run and experiment with machine learning models, including those for generating AI images. It provides an easy-to-use interface for accessing and running a variety of pre-trained models, including popular ones for image generation like Stable Diffusion and VQGAN+CLIP.
    • DALL-E – An AI model developed by OpenAI that generates images from text descriptions. It’s part of OpenAI’s efforts to create models that can understand and generate content across different mediums, such as text, code, and images.
      (Dall-E created the featured image for this blog post)
    • Suno – An AI-driven music creation tool that allows users to generate original music compositions based on text prompts. It leverages advanced models to produce a wide variety of musical styles, making it easier for users to create personalized soundtracks without the need for traditional music production skills.
  • Skill 7. AI Enhanced Editing
    • Runway AI – An innovative platform that provides a suite of AI tools for creative professionals, enabling them to generate and edit images, videos, and other media with ease. It offers capabilities like video editing, real-time collaboration, and advanced machine learning models for creative workflows.
    • Descript – An all-in-one audio and video editing tool that allows users to edit content through text. It features transcription, screen recording, and a multi-clip editor, making it easier to produce professional media with minimal technical skills.
    • Opus – A powerful AI platform that specializes in video and audio processing, including features for text-to-speech, video editing, and voiceover work. It aims to simplify content creation by automating complex tasks.

Category 4. Power to Connect

AI tools can amplify communication, helping you refine and share ideas effectively to build influence and an audience.

  • Skill 8. AI Enhanced Writing
    • Examples: Enhancing LinkedIn posts, drafting engaging tweets, or scripting YouTube videos.
    • Claude – An advanced AI chatbot developed by Anthropic, an AI research and safety company. Named after Claude Shannon, a pioneering figure in information theory, Claude is designed to be a highly capable conversational AI, similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, but with a focus on safety and alignment with human values.

My 30-Day Action Plan

To write this article, I thoroughly researched all the tools Liam mentioned. Some, like DALL-E and MidJourney, I’ve already used extensively. In the past, I also explored some AI automation tools while trying to streamline blog posting on a WordPress site. Along the way, I’ve discovered other impressive tools, such as AITubo – which gives you access to Midjourney and Flux and produce incredible results. With new AI tools constantly emerging, I’m keeping an open mind and staying flexible in my approach. For me, no tool is off-limits—adaptability is key in this ever-evolving landscape.

What I Hope to Achieve

Over the next 4 weeks, I aim to develop an even more solid foundation of the core skills that make an AI Generalist. Something more than a general understanding, but a practical understanding with real-life examples. I’m taking an MVP approach, so simple working examples are OK. I expect to be inspired by this journey, and apply these skills to a new project idea for myself and expand my professional portfolio.

  • Building no-code applications
  • Automating workflows
  • Crafting professional-grade creative content
  • Communicating effectively with the help of AI

Week 1: Foundations of AI Tools

The first step in any journey is understanding the landscape. I’ll spend this week familiarizing myself with the fundamental categories of AI tools and workflows. My focus will be on AI Workflow Automation and Prompt Engineering, learning tools like Zapier, Make.com, and Promptmetheus. By the end of the week, I’ll have automated a few simple tasks and refined my ability to write effective AI prompts.

Week 2: Building & Automation

Next, I’ll dive deeper into building with AI. Tools like Bolt.new and Replit Agent will help me create no-code applications, while Relevance AI will allow me to experiment with creating AI agents—digital workers that can perform tasks like responding to emails or updating spreadsheets. I’ll also take my automation skills further, connecting tools to create seamless workflows.

Week 3: Creative & Content Production

This week will be all about unleashing creativity. Using tools like MidJourney, Replicate, and DALL-E, I’ll create professional-grade images, and with Runway AI and Suna, I’ll experiment with video and music production. I’ll also explore AI Enhanced Editing tools like Descript and Opus to polish my work. The goal is to develop a portfolio of AI-powered creative projects.

Week 4: Communication & Connection

Finally, I’ll focus on using AI to amplify my voice and build influence. Tools like Claude 3 will help me craft clear, engaging content for platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter. I’ll brainstorm a series of posts that showcase my AI journey, reflecting on what I’ve learned and where I’m headed.

Gearing Up for the Future of Work

Beyond technical skills, this journey is about cultivating adaptability—the ability to pivot, learn, and grow in a world where AI is redefining the rules.

AI tools are more accessible than ever, and the potential they unlock is limitless. Walking the path of an AI Generalist, is equipping myself to thrive in the future of work while exploring exciting new possibilities. Let’s see where this journey leads.