What is Industry 6.0?
CMI Higher Education’s view on the evolution of industry, artificial intelligence, sustainability and the future of work.
Definition
Industry 6.0 is the paradigm of industrial and business transformation that integrates artificial intelligence, autonomous systems and hyperautomation with sustainability, human-centricity, ethics and STEAM thinking. For CMI Higher Education, it represents the evolution of Industry 5.0 principles in the face of the expansion of artificial intelligence: it seeks resilience, the creation of conscious value with a positive impact, and development in harmony with nature.
The concept builds on the evolution of previous industrial revolutions and focuses not only on which technologies organizations use, but on what for and under which principles they use them. Its key is collaboration between people and machines, not replacement.
From Industry 4.0 to Industry 6.0
- Internet of Things (IoT)
- Data and connectivity
- Automation
- Cyber-physical systems
- Smart factories
- Sustainability
- Human-centricity
- Resilience
- Responsibility
- Artificial intelligence
- Autonomous systems
- Hyperautomation
- Sustainability
- Ethics
- STEAM thinking
- Business transformation
This classification represents the conceptual framework of CMI Higher Education and is not intended to replace existing institutional or academic definitions of Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0. The stages are not watertight: they coexist progressively within organizations.
Why talk about Industry 6.0 now?
The expansion of generative artificial intelligence, autonomous agents, advanced robotics and systems capable of making decisions is once again changing the relationship between people, technology and organizations. Talking about Industry 6.0 is not looking at a distant future: these technologies already operate in many professional settings, and the debate is no longer which technologies will arrive, but how we will work with them.
The real disruption happens when technology stops being a mere tool and becomes part of decision-making. The key question is therefore what a person and a machine can do together that neither could achieve alone. CMI develops this in its series “The evolution of work” (2020) and in “The Evolution of Work II: from Industry 4.0 to Industry 6.0” (2026).
The six pillars of Industry 6.0 according to CMI
Artificial intelligence
Generative AI, agents, intelligent automation and advanced analytics integrated into processes and decision-making.
Sustainability
People, planet and resources: energy transition, circular economy and the creation of economic, social and environmental value.
People
Work, creativity, skills, well-being and professional development. Technology serving people, not the other way round.
Ethics and responsibility
AI governance, transparency, privacy, bias and corporate responsibility.
STEAM
Science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics as the basis of innovation and critical thinking.
Transformation
New business models, organizations, processes and ways of working.
Industry 6.0 and the future of work
Artificial intelligence does not only automate tasks: it changes professions, organizational structures and the skills needed to work. Technology takes on repetitive and data-processing tasks, and people can devote more time to analysis, strategy, relationships and creativity.
According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, around 39% of today’s professional skills will change significantly by 2030. The professional of the new environment will not be the one who knows the most technology, but the one who can integrate knowledge, technology and judgment.
- New skills
- AI applied to each profession
- Reskilling
- Upskilling
- New professional profiles
- People management
- Creativity
- Critical thinking
Industry 6.0 and education
If technology changes, work changes. If work changes, education changes. Higher education must move beyond models based only on initial knowledge acquisition and provide tools to understand, adapt and transform.
What should an Industry 6.0 professional learn?
- AI literacy
- Critical thinking
- Data analysis
- Sustainability
- Ethics
- Change management
- Innovation
- STEAM skills
- Leadership
- Lifelong learning
Industry 6.0 at CMI
CMI Higher Education integrates the Industry 6.0 approach into its educational model through its five Schools and programs related to artificial intelligence, sustainability, innovation, STEAM and business management.
Related programs: Master’s in Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity, Expert Program in Artificial Intelligence applied to Business, Responsible MBA, Master’s in CSR and Sustainability and the DBA doctorate. The 2027 offering adds an MBA with a Specialization in STEAM and Industry 6.0.
Research and knowledge on Industry 6.0
Publications from the CMI Think Tank and the CMI Journal related to Industry 6.0, artificial intelligence, work and sustainability:
Frequently asked questions about Industry 6.0
What is Industry 6.0?
It is the paradigm of industrial and business transformation that integrates artificial intelligence, autonomous systems and hyperautomation with sustainability, human-centricity, ethics and STEAM thinking. For CMI Higher Education, it is the evolution of Industry 5.0 principles in the face of the expansion of AI, with development in harmony with nature.
What is the difference between Industry 4.0, 5.0 and 6.0?
Industry 4.0 brought digitalization, cyber-physical systems and connectivity; 5.0 focused on people, sustainability and resilience; and 6.0 adds artificial intelligence, autonomous systems and hyperautomation to those principles. They are not closed stages: they coexist within organizations.
What role does artificial intelligence play in Industry 6.0?
It is its technological engine: generative AI, agents and intelligent automation are integrated into processes and decision-making. In CMI’s framework, AI works alongside people and under ethical and sustainability principles.
How are Industry 6.0 and sustainability related?
Sustainability is one of its six pillars: technology must create economic, social and environmental value, contribute to the energy transition and the circular economy, and develop in harmony with nature.
Which technologies are part of Industry 6.0?
Generative artificial intelligence, autonomous agents, hyperautomation, advanced robotics, advanced data analytics and systems capable of making decisions, built on the digital foundation of Industry 4.0.
How does Industry 6.0 affect the future of work?
It changes the composition of jobs themselves: technology takes on repetitive and data-processing tasks, and people focus on analysis, strategy, relationships and creativity. It requires continuously updating skills.
What skills does an Industry 6.0 professional need?
Analytical thinking and problem-solving; technological competence and an understanding of AI; creativity, innovation and lifelong learning; communication, collaboration and critical thinking; and an ethical and sustainability mindset. Above all, the ability to connect knowledge, technology and judgment.
How does CMI prepare students for Industry 6.0?
By integrating STEAM, technology as a professional tool, innovation, sustainability and conscious development across the programs of its five Schools, and by generating knowledge through the CMI Think Tank and the CMI Journal.
Sources and references
External sources
CMI Higher Education conceptual development
- García Martín, R. and Crespo, Y. (2026): “The Evolution of Work II: from Industry 4.0 to Industry 6.0”. CMI Think Tank
- CMI Think Tank (2020): “The evolution of work”
- The definition, the classification by stages and the six pillars on this page are the conceptual framework proposed by CMI Higher Education.
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