School Management in Adapting the Merdeka Curriculum for the Software Engineering (RPL) Concentration in the Era of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

The development of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping competency requirements in software-development occupations, requiring vocational schools to manage curriculum adaptation as an organizational process. In Indonesian vocational high schools (SMKs), Software Engineering (RPL) is a Skills Concentration within the Software and Game Development (PPLG) Skills Program. This study analyzes the role of school management in adapting the Merdeka Curriculum in RPL to AI-driven competency changes, identifies managerial processes that support graduate quality, and proposes an AI-responsive curriculum-management model. A systematic integrative literature review and qualitative document analysis were conducted using 30 peer-reviewed publications from 2020–2026, supplemented by foundational literature, policy documents, institutional documents from SMK Wikrama 1 Kabupaten Semarang, and relevant official sources. The findings show that AI-responsive curriculum adaptation requires integration of technical competence, AI literacy, problem solving, ethics, adaptability, teacher capacity, authentic learning, and industry partnerships. Six managerial processes were identified: environmental scanning, curriculum alignment, capacity building, authentic implementation, outcome assurance, and feedback and renewal. The study proposes an AI-Responsive Adaptive Curriculum Management Model that positions school management as the driver of continuous curriculum renewal. As no primary data or independent outcome measurement were used, the model remains conceptual rather than causal.