aceGuest editorial: STARA (smart technology, AI, robotics and algorithms): implications for career research
Significant advancements in smart technology, AI, robotics and algorithms (STARA) are changing how organisations design and implement work for the current and future workforce. Understanding the implications of STARA on work attitudes and behaviours is gaining the attention of scholars and practitioners (e.g. Brougham and Haar, 2018; Raisch and Krakowski, 2021; Tang et al., 2023; Ulfert et al., 2024; Yam et al., 2023), with existing findings highlighting the varied and significant effects that different types of…
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What happened is that by 2026-06-03 scholars observed that smart technology, AI, robotics and algorithms were changing work design, with reviews noting varied effects on performance and wellbeing and primary emphasis on displacement of routine tasks and the need to upskill and reskill workers.
Why it matters is that careers involve sequences of work experiences over time, so involuntary versus voluntary transitions shape identification with new roles and psychological adjustment; what remains uncertain is how these dynamics play out across low- and medium-skill occupations and non-standard work where trajectories and voice opportunities are weaker.
- STARA is defined as smart technology, AI, robotics and algorithms changing how organisations design work
- Existing research emphasizes displacement of routine tasks and roles where automation can substitute standardised processes
- Career transitions vary in voluntariness, shaping how meaningful the experience is perceived and how workers adjust
STARA adoption can displace routine tasks and roles, leading to involuntary career transitions including job loss due to automation.
The rundown
By June 2026 the editorial frames four research areas: core career themes like transitions and success, differences across career stages, contextual variation across sectors and standard versus platform work, and emerging topics needing attention.
Evidence cited includes occupational groups that have long navigated disruption such as radiographers, radiologists and librarians, and notes that high-skill contexts have received more attention than low- and medium-skill occupations where roles may be fragmented or expanded.
Sources
- Peer-reviewedCareer Development International2026-06-03
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The debate