Hugh Jiliang Liu
Manufacturing firms are increasingly adopting AI to improve inspection, maintenance, scheduling, robotics, digital twins, knowledge management, and supply chain coordination. However, these applications do not automatically create human-centered progress. Without deliberate organizational maturity, AI may strengthen technical performance while weakening worker agency, trust, inclusion, and accountability. This article proposes the Human-Centered AI Adoption Maturity Cube (HAIAM Cube) as a conceptual framework intended to support structured reflection on AI adoption in Industry 5.0 manufacturing. Drawing on literature on digital transformation, Industry 5.0, human-centered AI, trustworthy AI, work design, empowerment, inclusivity, and maturity models, the article argues that mature AI adoption depends on the alignment of three interdependent capabilities: AI and data capability, human work capability, and governance capability. The cube conceptually links these dimensions to four desired outcomes for future manufacturing jobs: augmentation, empowerment, inclusivity, and human-AI symbiosis. Rather than treating maturity as a linear sequence, the framework positions organizations according to different maturity configurations, such as fragmented pilots, technical acceleration, participatory but fragile adoption, governed but disconnected adoption, and symbiotic maturity. The article offers a modest scaffold for managers, engineers, worker representatives, and researchers seeking to align AI adoption with responsible and human-centered industrial renewal, while providing a conceptual basis for future assessment development and empirical validation.