AI is Reinventing Expertise—First It Will Help You, Then It Won’t

For centuries, expertise has meant knowing more than others, applying that knowledge over time, and earning trust through experience. A doctor builds their authority by diagnosing thousands of cases. A lawyer masters precedent through years of practice. An engineer understands and designs structures that last. A consultant refines their judgment by solving the same problem in different contexts, again and again.

AI is changing this—not by making more knowledge available, but by making application instant, automated, and scalable.

More Disruption

We no longer rely on priests to tell us what is true, or scholars who hoard books, or functional experts who have done it all before. Universal education ended the monopoly of the wealthy on learning, opening up expertise to the masses. The internet made information instantly accessible to anyone. Expertise has been steadily democratized over centuries, but we are at another threshold. It is now the turn of applied knowledge—the ability to judge, interpret, and decide based on experience.

AI does not just retrieve information—it applies it. It can process all legal precedent in seconds, analyze thousands of medical cases instantly, and design a financial model faster than any human ever could, repeat and improve, instantly. Unlike humans, AI does not retire, does not need training, and does not run out of bandwidth.

AI is not erasing expertise overnight but reshaping how it functions. In many fields, it is shifting authority from individuals to AI-assisted decision-making, where human oversight remains but the heavy lifting is done by algorithms. Expertise is rapidly becoming less about what one knows personally and more about how one guides, interprets, and refines AI-driven insights.

This is Personal

So, if your career, credibility, or authority has been built on knowing more, remembering more, or making decisions based on the past, you are in direct competition with AI.

There will be a lag.  At first, today’s experts will adapt best to AI. They will use it to enhance their work, making themselves more efficient and valuable. This will create the illusion that expertise is simply evolving rather than being redefined. But this is only a transition phase. As AI becomes more embedded, the real skill will shift from knowing things to managing infinite knowledge effectively.

Historically, automation has not made skills irrelevant overnight; it has changed which skills are valuable. Human computers in the 1940s did not disappear—they transitioned into roles that required managing, programming, or interpreting the new machines. Medieval scribes were not wiped out—they became printers, editors, and publishers. AI will not eliminate expertise immediately, but it will change who is considered an expert and what that expertise looks like, forever.

The Fragility of Expertise

AI is redefining how we apply knowledge. For most of history, knowledge was valuable because it was scarce. Expertise was respected because it took time to acquire and apply. AI is removing both constraints.

For now, the professionals who embrace AI will have an edge. But soon, the most valuable skill will not be expertise in a single field but the ability to navigate and apply AI-driven insights effectively.  Many will assume their role is secure because they can "use AI effectively." The real question is whether they are evolving with the change—or simply delaying the moment when their definition of expertise also becomes obsolete.