Abstract
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping work, yet its impact on skills is not technologically determined but institutionally mediated. Information Systems (IS) research often overlooks this, conceptualizing skill narrowly as a firm-level resource and privileging technology-first explanations. Building on Maurice et al’s (1984; 1986) cross-national analysis of education, organizational, and industrial relations, this paper highlights how institutional contexts shape skill formation and transformation. By conducting a scoping review framework, I systematically examined 52 IS and broader management journals (22–225). Findings show that IS and broader management scholarship predominantly define skill in technical, cognitive, or professional terms linked to organizational performance, with limited attention to broader institutional dynamics beyond the enterprise. I argue for a multi-level, institutionally grounded approach to AI and skills, essential for steering adoption toward an Augmented Intelligence paradigm that enhances rather than diminishes human capability.
Recommended Citation
Cao, Yuheng, "Rethinking Skill in Information Systems in an Age of
Deepening AI: What the IS Field Can Learn from Labor Studies" (2025). ACIS 2025 Proceedings. 53.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/acis2025/53