Smart Services Summit – Zurich, 16 October 2026

Smart Services in an AI-Enabled Economy

The Smart Service Summit 2026 invites academics, industry leaders, and practitioners to explore how smart services, artificial intelligence, and data-driven capabilities transform value creation in service systems.

As organisations increasingly transition toward service-oriented business models, the role of data, analytics, and artificial intelligence in service innovation and operations continues to expand. Data is widely available, but its value comes when organisations turn it into operational capabilities through analytics, AI, and organisational knowledge. These capabilities reshape service interactions, enable new service architectures, and support transformation across industries and ecosystems.

The Smart Services Summit brings together early-stage research and industry practice to explore how organisations design, implement, and scale AI-enabled smart services. Each session will feature an industry perspective, connecting academic insights with real-world challenges in service transformation.

Accepted papers will be published in the Smart Services Summit proceedings with Springer, and presentation slides will be shared with participants.
 

Topics of Interest

1. Smart Service Systems and Data-Driven Capabilities

• AI-supported services, AI-native service design, intelligent service operations, generative AI in services, and autonomous service systems.
• Transforming data from operand resources into operant capabilities through analytics, AI, and digital twins; data-driven decision making in service organisations.
   
• Understanding service systems, digital service architectures, service interactions, and modelling value co-creation in AI-enabled service environments.

2. Service Platforms and Ecosystems

Platform-based services, ecosystem orchestration, governance of digital service platforms, and value creation in service ecosystems.

• Viability of AI‑enabled service ecosystems, focusing on resilient and sustainable value flows, and on how AI supports continuous adaptation, reconfiguration, and systemic viability in multi‑actor environments.
• Data sharing, platform governance, ecosystem collaboration, and AI integration within multi-actor service networks.
• The role of digital platforms in enabling lifecycle services, industrial service ecosystems, and the transition from products to services.

3. Organisational Transformation and Change

• Organisational transformation towards service-based business models, lifecycle services, and digital (servitization) strategies.
• Adoption and implementation of AI/digitally-enabled services, leadership and capabilities for service transformation, and organisational change in service systems.
• Service workforce transformation, trust and adoption of AI/digitally -supported services, and human–AI collaboration in service delivery.

4. Smart Services for Industry and Society

• Adaptive maintenance, digital twins, asset management, and AI-enabled industrial services.
• Urban digital services, AI-enabled mobility, logistics optimisation, and intelligent transportation systems.
• Sustainable service models, data-driven sustainability reporting, circular service systems, and responsible AI in service innovation.

Contributions should be well researched and offer new insights into the challenges and opportunities presented by digital technologies and AI in the context of value co-creation. All submissions will undergo peer review, and accepted papers will be included in the conference proceedings published by Springer.

As in previous years, we are seeking early-stage research and will publish the proceedings with Springer again. Furthermore, we will use industry to set the scene and context from their perspective, and follow this with impactful academic presentations.

The organisation committee will review abstracts, and the papers will undergo a double-blind review process. After the summit, you will have the opportunity to complete the updated papers, incorporating relevant discussion feedback. The co-chairs will again check the final papers.

Summit Chairs

Prof. Dr. Shaun West, Hochschule Luzern, shaun.west@HSLU.ch

Dr. Jürg Meierhofer, ZHAW School of Engineering, juerg.meierhofer@zhaw.ch

Dr. Lennart Meier, Oracle, Zürich, lennart.meier@oracle.com

Keywords

Smart Services, AI-Driven Innovation, Modular Platforms, Sustainability, Value Co-Creation, Digital Transformation, Circular Economy, Service Ecosystems

Submission & Review Process

Abstract Submission Deadline: 1 July 2026

Notification of Acceptance: 14 July 2026

Full Paper Submission Deadline: 16 September 2025

Abstract Submission: Submit via EasyChair

Full Paper Length: Up to 12 pages (including references, APA style using the DOC tempalte only)

Double-Blind Peer Review: All papers will undergo rigorous peer review before publication.

Conference Proceedings: All accepted papers will be published by Springer and indexed.

Acceptance of papers is based on the full paper (up to 12 pages in length, including references). All papers will be peer-reviewed and published by Springer.

Templates

• There is no template for the abstract.
• Word template for the papers: https://bit.ly/4aV5hRd
• For the initial submission, please submit only a PDF without author details.
• For the final submission, please submit both PDF and DOC versions.
• Our conference will use APA style for references, and papers will be limited to 12 pages.

Proceedings from last year...

You can find past editions here: https://link.springer.com/conference/smsesu