Upskilling and reskilling in the AI era: a new logic of competence development
Upskilling and reskilling in the AI era: a new logic of competence development

Summary/Abstract: Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is reshaping professional education, hastening the obsolescence of competences and unsettling traditional, linear approaches to upskilling and reskilling. This article advances a new logic of competence development to characterise this shift. Drawing on institutional reports (DeVry University, 2024; World Economic Forum, 2023, 2025) and established theoretical traditions, it shows that the competence landscape is moving towards hybrid models that combine technical expertise with adaptive capabilities such as resilience, reflective judgement and AI literacy. A comparative analysis of employers' and employees' perspectives reveals both opportunities and risks, notably gaps in recognition, digital inequalities and a shifting of responsibility for learning. Using the gAI-PT4I4 prototype as an illustrative case, the article demonstrates how GenAI can serve as a vehicle for adaptive, personalised learning and training, while raising questions about scalability, ethics and deskilling. The conceptual contribution is to define competence development as an iterative, co-created and adaptive process, in contrast to static, competence-based models. At the same time, AI can itself provide a pathway for developing new competences, supporting the complex processes of upskilling and reskilling. The gAI-PT4I4 case connects the conceptual argument to a concrete example of AI-enabled adaptive learning.

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