Dear colleagues,
We are pleased to invite submissions to the HICSS-59 Minitrack on AI and Emerging Workforce Competencies. This minitrack explores how AI is transforming workforce competencies, professional roles, skill requirements, and career trajectories in the manufacturing sector.
We welcome contributions that examine how AI is augmenting industrial work, the emergence of new professions, and how organizations are managing workforce transitions. A key focus is on competence management strategies, training frameworks, and ethical considerations in AI-powered manufacturing environments.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- New AI-Augmented Roles in Manufacturing – How AI is redefining job functions in production, quality control, and industrial engineering.
- AI as a Translator Between Humans and Machines – Human-AI collaboration in smart factories and automation; challenges and limitations.
- Bridging the Skills Gap – Addressing mismatches between existing workforce skills and AI-enabled manufacturing needs.
- AI in Workforce Reskilling and Training – Novel methodologies for upskilling and reskilling professionals.
- AI-Enabled Decision Support – Exploring human-AI collaboration in optimizing production and logistics.
- Automation vs. Human Expertise – What tasks can AI replace, and which require human judgment?
- Ethical and Workforce Implications – Employment, labor dynamics, and workplace ethics in the context of AI.
- Sustainability and Resilience – AI's role in sustainable and resource-efficient manufacturing.
- Industry 5.0 – Human-centric and sustainable approaches to future manufacturing systems.
We encourage empirical, conceptual, and design-oriented research from scholars, industry professionals, and policymakers.
Accepted papers will be considered for fast-track publication in a special issue of the International Journal on Current Issues in Work-Integrated Learning (CIWIL), titled "AI and Emerging Professions: Navigating New Skills and Practices."
More details:
HICSS Minitrack Webpage
Conference Details:
January 6–9, 2026
Hyatt Regency Maui
Website: hicss.hawaii.edu
Important Dates:
June 15 (11:59 PM HST) – Paper submission deadline
August 17 – Notification of acceptance/rejection
September 4 (11:59 PM HST) – Revised paper deadline (for A-M decisions)
September 22 – Final manuscript deadline
October 1 – Author registration deadline
We look forward to your submissions!
Warm regards,
Ulrika Lundh Snis, Livia Norström, Helena Vallo Hult, and Fatemeh Saadatmand
Minitrack Co-Chairs
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Fatemeh Saadatmand
IT University of Copenhagen
Gothenburg
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