Reflecting on the 2024 PolymathMind World Tour
Over the last year we have been privileged to be invited to take part in various Webinars, training programs , events and sessions around the world with those interested in the issue of AI and it’s likely impact on knowledge workers.
The sessions have been vitally important for us in learning more about AI and they have also given us the opportunity to share our emerging point of view based on our studies of the AI experts and their work, as well as the world of polymathy and polymathic thinking. So as this year draws to a close, we thought it a good time to review our 2024 live and online world tour.
Our world tour may not rival Taylor Swift’s, but it allowed us to meet remarkable people in cities such as Bucharest, Utrecht, and Athens to discuss all things AI.
We also participated in online sessions with colleagues from Bali, South Africa, and Australia. While virtual, these sessions felt familiar as we have been regular visitors to these countries over the years.
Additionally, we conducted workshops, seminars, and keynote speeches for universities, industry associations, and networking groups across the US and UK. These engagements offered valuable feedback from professionals in consulting, education, and small business ownership.
In all of these settings and with all of these audiences, we have explored how AI is likely to change the world of knowledge work - and specifically on the issue of the skills we will now need to work successfully with AI.
What did we learn?
Observation One: The Mainstreaming of AI
In 2024, we witnessed a surge in AI adoption, with tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude becoming widely used across diverse sectors.
Initially, we were surprised by the slow uptake of generative AI despite its obvious transformative potential, comparable to the steam engine or the internet. A year later, however, people from all walks of life are experimenting with AI, often starting small—whether creating meal plans, analyzing dance strategies for TV shows, or enhancing social media posts.
AI’s mainstreaming appears to follow a practical, application-first model. This echoes our earlier experience with the UK’s Open University. We often see technology adoption driven by personal use cases, such as grandparents using Skype to connect with family, which gradually built confidence for more advanced tasks.
AI’s adoption is not led by a theoretical understanding but by solving specific, immediate problems. This incremental approach is encouraging.
Observation Two: Varied Stakeholder Engagement with AI
While individuals and corporations are embracing AI, governments appear to be avoiding the topic in public discussions.
Corporations are integrating AI deeply into their operations, transforming business models with tools like Microsoft Copilot and AI agents. Yet, in the US presidential election and the UK general election, AI was notably absent from the political agenda.
This avoidance may stem from the complexities and potential inequalities AI could introduce. As Stanford’s Erik Brynjolfsson notes:
“There’s no economic law that says when technology advances, everybody necessarily benefits. Some people, even a majority of people, could be made worse off.”
PolymathMind continues to advocate for strategic discussions about AI’s societal impact, recognizing its potential to create both winners and losers in the workforce. But this window is closing … at some point (soon) we will be in ‘shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted’ territory.
Observation Three: Challenges in Education
AI’s impact on education remains uneven.
In one workshop, we learned of a professor who created a chatbot delivering personalized tutorials to 400 students—an innovation with the potential to democratize elite-level education. Conversely, some institutions still ban AI, missing opportunities to teach students how to collaborate effectively with these tools.
The real challenge lies in overhauling curricula to integrate AI meaningfully. This requires identifying where AI can excel, such as heavy-lifting tasks, and where human skills like empathy and creativity remain vital. A fundamental shift is needed—bolt-on modules will not suffice.
Observation Four: AI and Special Educational Needs
AI is highlighting the value of creative, holistic thinkers, often overlooked in traditional education systems.
For example, Richard Branson, recognizing his dyslexia and ADHD as drivers of his entrepreneurial success, supported the launch of a ‘dyslexia university.’ This reflects a growing awareness of the strengths dyslexics bring, such as resilience, resourcefulness, and an ability to see the big picture.
AI complements these strengths by compensating for traditional skill gaps, enabling creative and entrepreneurial individuals to thrive in ways previously unimaginable.
Observation Five: Is AI Changing the Way We Think?
One emerging question is whether working with AI is altering human thought processes.
AI’s ability to handle deductive reasoning allows humans to focus on more creative, abductive reasoning tasks. However, some psychologists warn that outsourcing thinking to AI may disrupt the balance between introspection and reliance on external cues (‘extrospection’).
From our own experiences, collaborating with AI has profoundly influenced how we approach problems, encouraging higher levels of creative thinking and redefining problem-solving processes. This topic warrants further exploration and debate.
Observation Six: The Demand for Polymathic Thinking
Our central thesis—that polymathic thinking will be increasingly valued in the AI era—has gained traction.
We’ve identified seven essential ‘power skills’ for effective human-AI collaboration:
Human-AI Interface Expertise: Using and interpreting AI outputs correctly.
Sense-Making: Seeing nuanced, contextual big pictures.
Critical Thinking: Applying subtle, abductive reasoning to complement AI’s deductive capabilities.
Audacious Creativity: Taking innovative thinking to the next level.
Forward Thinking: Envisioning plausible futures.
Inspiring Communication: Adding human-centric storytelling magic to AI’s drafts.
Galvanizing Leadership: Building adaptive, empathetic teams in an AI-driven world.
Here we can report that over the last year there has been growing acknowledgement of these being the key power skills that will allow us to collaborative effectively with AI and they encapsulate a view of the modern-day polymath, enabling humans to collaborate seamlessly with AI.
Looking Ahead
In response we have begun to move from making general statements about the value of acquiring these power skills into designing and offering specific training programs that provides step-by-step guidance for each power skill - and on also how they work collectively to create the Polymathmind approach to creative problem-solving .
Specifically we have been building up these frameworks showing how humans can work hand glove with AI on particular tasks -using illustrative examples to bring to life of how to combine the best of what AI can offer us together with our outstanding, unique human skill in a way that lead leads to a outstanding collaborative outcomes
Our journey in 2024 confirmed that AI is reshaping society in profound ways, demanding strategic, long-term thinking. So do get in touch if you’d like to know more about the art of working collaboratively with AI and would be delighted to learn more about where you are in your AI journey.
So let’s see where 2025 will take us by road, sea, air or online as we continue the exciting journey with AI