Challenges of the Future

Upskilling Older Employees in the Artificial Intelligence Era

Tinkara Žabar — 2025-12-05

Research Question (RQ): What is the effect of new technologies, with an emphasis on artificial intelligence (AI), for the need to upskill older employees (50+ years).

Purpose: The purpose of the research was to carry out a systematic literature review of existing research in the field of the effect of AI on the upskilling needs of older employees.

Method: We performed a systematic literature review in six academic search engines, ProQuest, Emerald, Sage Journals, Springer, Research Gate and Google Scholar.

Results: Artificial intelligence is significantly transforming the labor market, as it requires constant adaptation to new skills and knowledge. AI has a significant effect on older employees, who are exposed to greater challenges due to a possible lack of digital skills and sensitivity to change. In this context, training and further education are key mechanisms to ensure that skills match the requirements of the work environment and the labor market. Organizations must quickly adapt to changing requirements by creating a culture of lifelong learning that encourages seniors and other employees to improve. It is crucial that training programs are based on the specific needs and challenges faced by older employees.

Organization: The research emphasizes the importance of training older employees in the age of AI and encourages organizations to create a culture of lifelong learning as part of the organization's strategic directions and goals.

Society: The importance of the research for society is reflected in the insight into the involvement of all age groups in the possibility of improving knowledge, skills and attitudes towards the use of modern technologies. Organizations and society itself bear the social responsibility to enable older employees to successfully integrate into the work environment in the AI era.

Originality: The research addresses the need to improve the skills of a specific age group in the age of AI, where it simultaneously highlights the importance of fostering a culture of lifelong learning in a rapidly changing world. The research findings provide guidelines for policymaking in the field of training on national level in the context of an aging workforce and new technologies.

Limitations/further research: The literature review was limited to six publicly available databases. In the article, older employees were considered as all people in the labor process older than 50 years. We must emphasize that older employees differ from each other in terms of education, economic, social and other circumstances. It would be appropriate to investigate the effect of new technologies also regarding the mentioned circumstances in this age group.

Obstacles to the Implementation of Innovations in Start-Up Companies

Nerman Ljevo — 2025-12-05

Research Question (RQ): Start-up companies represent the support of the development of every economy. However, this is a more fragile part of the economy, because a large number of start-up companies fail in the first years of their development. The results of previous research indicate that there are several reasons for the failure of start-ups, and one of the key ones is the difficult application of innovations. In today's modern and turbulent times, in the embrace of globalization, innovations are an absolute must have. All companies that are not innovatively oriented are doomed to failure. Even large, multinational companies pay for the lack of innovation, so this is a signal to start-ups that investing in innovation is the most important thing in their budget. However, there are numerous challenges and obstacles in the application of innovations at start-ups. The main problem of the research is to detect what are the most important obstacles and challenges for the application of innovations in Bosnian start-ups, and by what methods it is possible to overcome them.

Purpose: The main purpose of the research is to point out the obstacles and challenges faced by start-up companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina and to give adequate recommendations for start-ups as well as all interest groups, how to eliminate them effectively, in order to make the economy and business operations of the company more propulsive and proactive.

Method: In the theoretical explanation of the problem, sufficient information contained in previous researches will be gathered, regarding the considered issue. Through empirical research, it will be determined what the most common types of obstacles are and challenges faced by start-ups in Bosnia and Herzegovina, what types of innovations are most often implemented in start-up companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina and which methods and ways can be used to overcome the mentioned obstacles. The research will be done on a sample of 10 start-up companies in BiH.

Results: The results of the research will show what are the obstacles and challenges in the implementation of innovations recorded in the sample of observed start-ups, what types of innovations are most often implemented in start-ups in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and how to most effectively overcome obstacles in the implementation of innovations in start-ups, with the aim of their better and more successful business.

Organization: Through research of this type, managers of start-ups (or those who intend to become one) can more easily identify the basic obstacles in the implementation of innovations in their business, and use the proposed methods to overcome them, in order to make their business more stable and sustainable.

Society: Increasing the stability of start-ups brings long-term benefits for the entire society. Socially responsible business of start-ups can contribute to a better distribution of resources in society, which is desirable for all participants in society, but also for the environment.

Originality: Research of this type represents one of the rare researches on start-ups in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a pioneering research in the context of challenges and obstacles in the implementation of innovations at start-ups in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Limitations / further research: Limitations: small sample size, difficulties in data collection. Recommendations: research on the implementation of innovations according to the areas in which start-ups operate.

Keywords: start-up, innovation, challenges, obstacles, implementation, recommendation, stability, overcome.

AI is not a Tool

Alexander van Biezen — 2025-12-05

Research Question (RQ): What are the underlying philosophical assumptions shaping current perceptions of artificial intelligence (AI) as a mere tool, and how do these assumptions influence our understanding of AI’s growing agency and its potential impact on the future of work?

Purpose: The paper aims to critically examine the widespread assumption that AI systems remain passive instruments entirely under human control. It explores how emerging forms of AI agency—understood as autonomous or semi-autonomous decision-making capacities—challenge this notion and what implications this shift entails for human labour, ethics, and social stability.

Methods: The study adopts a philosophical and conceptual methodology grounded in the philosophy of mind and the philosophy of science. It draws on classical thought experiments (Searle’s Chinese Room, Jackson’s Mary, Penrose’s arguments on non-algorithmic consciousness) and integrates recent interdisciplinary debates on AI agency, autonomy, and consciousness. The analysis is based on a critical literature review combining philosophical, technological, and socio-political sources.

Results: Findings indicate that the assumption of AI as a “dumb tool” no longer holds. Evidence of growing AI autonomy demonstrates that decision-making processes once reserved for humans are increasingly being delegated to machines. This outsourcing of human agency risks creating social and ethical blind spots, potentially leading to unequal labour transformations and governance challenges. However, a managed transition toward human–AI cooperation could foster innovation and inclusion if grounded in ethical oversight and policy regulation.

Organization: For organizations, the study highlights the need to anticipate shifts in work structures and decision-making processes caused by AI systems with growing agency. It encourages managers and policymakers to design governance frameworks that maintain human oversight while enabling responsible collaboration with AI.

Society: At the societal level, the research underlines the urgency of open policy debates and ethical reflection on AI regulation. Addressing the implications of AI autonomy is essential to preserve human agency, democratic accountability, and social justice in the digital era.

Originality: The article contributes to bridging philosophical inquiry and socio-technical analysis by reframing AI not merely as a technological tool but as an emerging actor in human decision-making systems. It advances the concept of “AI agency” as a key lens for understanding the transformation of work.

Limitations / Further research: The study is conceptual and does not include empirical data. Future research should investigate how organizations and workers experience AI agency in practice, possibly through ethnographic or organizational case studies, and explore policy instruments capable of mitigating risks related to automation and technocratic governance.