The Future Belongs to the Fluent
By Claire D. for Intangible Space
I’ve noticed something curious: my colleagues who speak more than one language seem to have adopted AI tools more quickly and more confidently than others.
At first, I thought it was just a coincidence. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Multilinguals instinctively tailor their message to the listener—an essential skill when prompting AI. They know how to get their intent across, even if the path there isn’t perfect. They’re used to searching for the right word, trying one version of a sentence, then another. When words get lost in translation, they know how to adapt on the fly. That comfort with ambiguity, with rephrasing, with stumbling and finding another way, is exactly what makes them fluent AI users.
Personally, I’ve used AI to write better in both English AND French. It’s a productivity boost but also a confidence boost. I haven’t found any formal studies on this connection between multilingualism and AI usage yet, but if you come across one, please send it my way.
What I have found is a trend pointing to something else: a growing demand for language, humanities, and creative thinking in the AI space. Now that’s exciting.
The Revenge of the Humanities
Contrary to the old narrative that STEM is the only way into the future, we’re seeing a new appreciation for the value of liberal arts. Nobel Prize-winning economist Christopher Pissarides recently warned against over-relying on technical skills, noting that jobs requiring face-to-face communication and human nuance are becoming more important.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 11% decline in computer programming jobs by 2032. Tech companies are actively hiring literature majors, philosophers, and creatives to help guide how AI systems interact with people. IBM’s AI chief Matt Candy called out the increasing demand for “right-brainers” who bring creativity and critical thinking, key skills for prompt engineers, for example, who help AI models understand how humans really think and behave.
As Conor Grennan at NYU’s Stern School of Business put it, “English majors and other creatives hold the keys to the future.” Why? Because generative AI runs on language. Being able to write well, structure ideas, and communicate nuance is suddenly a competitive advantage.
Language is not a Tool, It’s a Strategy
In the enterprise space, the most successful AI users I know aren’t the ones with the most technical know-how. They’re the ones who know how to talk to machines and people. They understand tone, audience, and context. They’re comfortable experimenting, rephrasing, and adapting. And yes, many of them happen to speak more than one language.
So teach your kids a new language. Pick up that novel you’ve been meaning to read. Hire the candidate with an English major. These aren’t just soft skills anymore. They’re strategic assets in a world where the line between human and machine communication is getting blurrier every day.
The future of AI won’t be built by engineers but by readers and storytellers too!
If you are thinking about how to recruit talents in the age of AI, contact us.
