Reconceptualizing professional capital: from human, social, and decisional to digital-adaptive in principals' leadership in the AI era

Purpose The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming education and creating new challenges for school leadership. The purpose of this study is to examine how principals' leadership for AI adoption has been represented in recent scholarship and to reconceptualize the framework of professional capital in light of these developments. Design/methodology/approach Methodologically, the study adheres to the PRISMA 2020 Guidelines to conduct a systematic review of 37 peer-reviewed articles published up to July 2025. Data were extracted and synthesized using a framework-based coding process guided by Hargreaves and Fullan's (2015) concept of professional capital. Studies were coded deductively into human, social, and decisional capital, with inductive analysis identifying new themes specific to the AI era. Findings The findings reveal that all three capitals remain central but are being reshaped. Human capital now encompasses AI literacy, techno-ethical knowledge, and continuous learning. Social capital extends beyond school communities to include partnerships with technology providers, policymakers, and parents. Decisional capital is increasingly defined by human-in-the-loop oversight, algorithmic judgment, and adaptive contextualization. These transformations suggest that professional capital in the AI era is no longer static but is instead integrative and future-oriented. Originality/value The study's originality lies in proposing the concept of digital-adaptive capital, an emergent meta-capacity that combines technological fluency, ethical discretion, and adaptive responsiveness. This reconceptualization extends professional capital theory and offers a framework for preparing and supporting principals to lead schools through conditions of continual technological change.