As AI Changes Work, Massachusetts Students Will Explore What It Means for People

October 24 Human Edge Studio, convened by Strategic Growth & Innovation at WPI, will connect interdisciplinary learning, workforce research and industry expertise, with selected student findings advancing to the Massachusetts State House.

WORCESTER, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Artificial intelligence is changing how work gets done, which skills are valued and how people navigate their careers. But understanding what those changes mean for people requires more than technology—and more than any single set of data.

On Saturday, October 24, undergraduate and graduate students will gather at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) for Work, Identity, and Opportunity in the Age of AI, the next Human Edge Studio convened by Strategic Growth & Innovation (SG+I).

Unlike a traditional hackathon focused primarily on building technical solutions, the Human Edge Studio is a structured, interdisciplinary learning experience designed to develop judgment, ethical reasoning, communication and applied capability alongside technical skills.

Working through a curated, real-world challenge, students will use an enterprise-grade Databricks environment bringing together Lightcast labor-market intelligence, O*NET occupational and skills information, federal Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), and Anthropic Economic Index data.

Their task is not to predict the distant future, but to examine how work, skills and opportunity are changing now—and consider what those changes mean for students entering the workforce, workers navigating career transitions, and the institutions supporting them.

The experience will extend beyond the Studio itself. Selected student teams will be invited to share their insights at a November 17 Human Edge Roundtable at the Massachusetts State House, bringing student perspectives into a broader cross-sector conversation about AI, work and economic opportunity.

“We hear a great deal about preparing people for an AI-enabled workforce, but I don't believe preparation can stop at learning how to use the technology,” said Shauna Conway, Founder of Strategic Growth & Innovation. “As AI becomes more capable, students will need opportunities to question what they're seeing, understand what the data doesn't tell them, work with people who see a problem differently and make judgments they can stand behind. That's why we built Human Edge this way. We want students practicing those capabilities on real questions now, and bringing their perspectives into the conversations shaping what comes next.”

Bringing Workforce Research and Human Perspective Together

The Studio will connect students with leaders across workforce research, higher education, industry and government. Lightcast and The Burning Glass Institute will contribute perspectives on changing jobs, skills and career pathways during the opening program.

“AI is changing more than jobs; it is changing how people develop the skills and experience needed to become good at their jobs. As tasks shift between people and technology, we need to think carefully about how workers will build expertise and how career pathways may change. Giving students the opportunity to wrestle with those questions now is an important part of preparing them for the workforce they are entering.”

— Steve Lynch, VP Partnerships, The Burning Glass Institute

A defining feature of the Studio is its interdisciplinary design. Students studying computer science, data science and engineering will work alongside peers from business, sociology, political science, philosophy, the humanities and other disciplines.

Rather than treating AI and workforce transformation as purely technical questions, the challenge asks teams to examine the evidence, recognize its limitations, consider how changes may affect people differently, and develop practical recommendations.

Faculty, industry practitioners and workforce experts will provide perspective and guidance as students work through the challenge. The experience is designed to strengthen capabilities relevant to an AI-shaped workforce while giving participating organizations an opportunity to engage with emerging talent as they approach complex, real-world questions.

“AI is not simply a technical question. It is changing how we work, communicate and make decisions, which means students from across disciplines have something important to contribute. Experiences like Human Edge give students the opportunity to bring technical knowledge into conversation with questions about people, ethics and society—and to recognize that understanding a complex problem requires learning from people who see it differently.”

— Yunus Telliel, Assistant Professor and Director of the Great Problems Seminar, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

From Applied Learning to a Broader Massachusetts Conversation

Worcester City Manager Eric D. Batista will welcome students during the opening program, and State Senator Michael O. Moore will bring a statewide public-sector perspective to the conversation.

For selected teams, the October 24 Studio will be the beginning rather than the end of the experience. Students invited to the November 17 Human Edge Roundtable at the Massachusetts State House will have an opportunity to bring their findings into dialogue with leaders considering how AI is affecting work, workforce readiness and economic opportunity.

“Massachusetts has extraordinary strengths in education, technology and talent, and our students should have a meaningful role in shaping how we respond to the changes AI is bringing to work and society. Preparing the next generation means more than giving them access to new technology; it means giving them opportunities to understand its implications, ask difficult questions and develop the judgment to use it responsibly. I look forward to hearing what these students learn and continuing that conversation with them at the State House.”

— State Senator Michael O. Moore

Building on a Growing Collaboration

The October Studio builds on previous Human Edge experiences that have brought students and cross-sector leaders together around applied questions involving AI, data, ethics and human impact.

The founding November 2025 experience brought together 100 students across six institutions, with 94% of participants agreeing that innovation is about people, not just technology.

Human Edge is supported by ongoing collaboration among academic partners who meet regularly to help shape interdisciplinary learning experiences and strengthen connections across institutions. Industry, workforce, technology and public-sector partners contribute expertise, data and real-world perspectives that help connect student learning with the questions facing organizations and communities.

Through its connected Studios and Roundtables, SG+I is developing a repeatable approach to responsible AI readiness—one that builds human capability through practice while creating opportunities for learning and dialogue to continue beyond individual experiences.

About Human Edge

Human Edge is a human-centered AI collaboration model that brings together universities, industry, and public sector partners to develop judgment, ethical reasoning, and applied capability through interdisciplinary, real-world experiences.

Human Edge is stewarded by Strategic Growth & Innovation, LLC (SG+I).

Event Information

Human Edge Studio: Work, Identity, and Opportunity in the Age of AI

Saturday, October 24, 2026 | 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute — Unity Hall, 4th Floor
Worcester, Massachusetts

The Studio brings together undergraduate and graduate students across disciplines and technical experience levels.

Media inquiries: Journalists interested in covering the Studio, observing student collaboration, or exploring interview opportunities with participating leaders and students are encouraged to contact SG+I.