Artificial intelligence as a factor of relief and strain in educational organizations

Abstract This article examines how digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI) shape working conditions, competence requirements, and professionalization processes in adult and continuing education. It focuses on the structurally heterogeneous and often precarious employment conditions of teaching staff, which have been further reshaped by digital change. The study combines perspectives from the sociology of professions with occupational and health psychology. Digital technologies and AI are conceptualized as socio-technical arrangements that influence professional practice, workload, and organizational structures. Using a sequential mixed-methods design, qualitative interviews reconstruct subjective experiences of strain and relief, which are contextualized through quantitative survey data. The findings show that technologies can reduce administrative workload, support teaching preparation, and improve accessibility, but may also create strain through opaque systems, increased responsibility, and additional competence demands. The study highlights that AI differs from broader digitalization by increasingly influencing knowledge production and professional judgment.