About the Challenge

Artificial intelligence is transforming labor market at a pace that exceeds the capacity of many organizations and institutions to adapt. Tasks once considered exclusively human, from analysis to synthesis to certain forms of judgement, are increasingly performed or supported by intelligent systems. This shift is prompting a broader reflection on what work means, how value is created, and which capabilities remain distinctly human within this new landscape. Understanding this transformation requires moving beyond a narrow focus on job displacement, towards a deeper examination of how cognitive work is being reorganized, how competences are evolving, and how people continue to find purpose within changing structures.

This Collaboration Circle will build, in collaboration with the Look4ward Observatory of the LUISS Center for Strategic Change “Franco Fontana”, a research agenda structured around three interconnected lines of inquiry.

The first line examines the collaboration between people and intelligent systems within work environments, considering how cognitive tasks are being redistributed and which organizational practices can preserve decision-making autonomy while supporting genuine learning rather than superficial task execution. Concepts such as “AI fatigue” and “mental overload” will be discussed against personal and organizational experiences.

The second line turns to the competences that are gaining strategic relevance precisely because they resist automation, such as the capacity to create, the capacity to relate to others, and the exercise of ethical and narrative judgement. The challenge lies in understanding how such competences can be developed and properly valued within educational and organizational systems that were built on different assumptions. A focus will be placed on the role of educational systems in supporting the development of these strategic competences, and on how the different actors of the education ecosystems relate synergically to each other, especially in international contexts.

The third line addresses the concept of purpose, both from an individual and an organizational perspective. The so-called “purpose capital” will be explored, that constitutes a valuable asset for contemporary organizations. As automation extends into increasingly complex cognitive processes, the question of what continues to motivate people takes on new significance. This line of research will explore how educational systems and organizations might invest in this dimension as a source of long-term resilience.