Range by David Epstein: How Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World has been an amazing read so far.
The question I keep coming back to
It answers one of the most intriguing questions that I had always: If a generalist is actually better than a specialist? Well, I'm not sure if that is still true in case of the AI world.
Why this feels personal
This question is close to my heart. As a generalist, I struggle with the same thing. Not having a standout skill can make it hard to position yourself as an expert. You can be good at many things without being great at any one thing, but society does not value that as much, especially early in your career.
The head start problem
I always had this concern that specialists around me have had a head start. They already knew what they were meant to do and they have been doing pretty good, especially career-wise.
Where generalists usually win (and where I’m unsure)
Generalists, on the other hand, don't do so well, at least not in the early stages of their career. They do better according to the book as the career progresses but the question remains if it's still going to be true once the models get smarter and smarter. In such a case I have a strong feeling that specialists are going to win?