AI-based learning and assistance systems and their role in learning factories

The starting point of the article is AI-based assistance and learning systems, for which the foundations were laid in the three-year EU project "Digital Coach" (DC). The vision is to further develop the approach of an intelligent workplace that promotes learning. This article will first discuss the challenges associated with the digital transformation and, in particular, the use of AI-supported solutions in industrial production and their impact on personnel and quality management as well as vocational education and training. The learning factory approach is then described and the extent to which this has an impact on reflective competence and learning transfer in the sense of an ecosystem of corporate learning is discussed. The core of the article deals with the use of AI-based learning and assistance systems and their implementation in the form of an intelligent workplace. In this context, it also looks at how the acceptance of the organizational members involved can be ensured when establishing such innovative systems and what role the digital coach can play in this process. The digital coach can support companies in establishing these systems and promoting the corresponding personalized learning paths. An empirical study, accompanied by literature research and expert interviews, serves as the basis for uncovering the possibilities and limitations of AI-based assistance and learning systems. The article concludes with an outlook for further research.