Abstract
AI-driven Information Systems Development (ISD) is changing professional work by increasing uncertainty, distributed agency, and responsibility for socio-technical outcomes. Yet ISD education remains largely organized around technical competence, while the humanistic competencies needed for responsible professional judgment remain conceptually dispersed and pedagogically underdeveloped. This article adopts a conceptual research design supported by a structured Scopus literature search using ISD/software-professional and competence-related terms, followed by conceptual synthesis. The paper identifies six clusters of nontechnical competencies: ethical literacy and accountability, critical reflection and judgment in AI use, collaboration and communication, empathy and stakeholder sensitivity, trust and trustworthiness, and interdisciplinary translation and multi-literacy. It further conceptualizes Project-Based Learning as a pedagogical architecture for developing these competencies through authentic inquiry, collaboration, reflection, autonomy, and feedback-driven iteration. The contribution lies in linking AI-driven ISD competency demands with PBL-based competence development and positioning humanistic competencies as central to responsible professional practice in AI-driven ISD environments.
Paper Type
Short Paper
DOI
10.62036/ISD.2026.176
Humanistic Competencies in AI-Driven ISD: A Project-Based Learning Architecture
AI-driven Information Systems Development (ISD) is changing professional work by increasing uncertainty, distributed agency, and responsibility for socio-technical outcomes. Yet ISD education remains largely organized around technical competence, while the humanistic competencies needed for responsible professional judgment remain conceptually dispersed and pedagogically underdeveloped. This article adopts a conceptual research design supported by a structured Scopus literature search using ISD/software-professional and competence-related terms, followed by conceptual synthesis. The paper identifies six clusters of nontechnical competencies: ethical literacy and accountability, critical reflection and judgment in AI use, collaboration and communication, empathy and stakeholder sensitivity, trust and trustworthiness, and interdisciplinary translation and multi-literacy. It further conceptualizes Project-Based Learning as a pedagogical architecture for developing these competencies through authentic inquiry, collaboration, reflection, autonomy, and feedback-driven iteration. The contribution lies in linking AI-driven ISD competency demands with PBL-based competence development and positioning humanistic competencies as central to responsible professional practice in AI-driven ISD environments.
Recommended Citation
Malik-Kozlowska, B. & Kozlowski, R.(2026). Humanistic Competencies in AI-Driven ISD: A Project-Based Learning Architecture. In M. Valenta, B. Mannová, R. Pergl, A. Przybylek, M. Lang, H. Linger, C. Schneider, N. Iivari, & E. Insfran (Eds.), Making ISD Sustainable: Reloaded with AI and Automation (ISD2026 Proceedings). Prague, Czech Republic: Czech Technical University in Prague. ISBN: 978-80-01-07585-2. https://doi.org/10.62036/ISD.2026.176