How Does The Adoption of Artificial Intelligence Affect Employees? A Double-Edged Sword Study

In the era of intelligence, organizations are increasingly introducing artificial intelligence technology into the workplace. However, how employees perceive artificial intelligence and how this cognition affects their motivation and behavior need to be explored in depth. Drawing on transactional stress theory and conservation of resources theory, our research examines the impacts of the adoption of artificial intelligence on employee behaviors. Based on data from 430 employees of private enterprises in China and 55 teams at three time points, we found that the adoption of artificial intelligence positively affects employees’ both challenge appraisal and threat appraisal. Challenge appraisal mediates the positive indirect impact of the adoption of artificial intelligence on energy, and threat appraisal mediates the positive indirect impact of the adoption of artificial intelligence on ego depletion. Energy positively affects work performance, and ego depletion positively affects deviant behavior. Through challenge appraisal and energy, the adoption of artificial intelligence has a positive indirect impact on work performance. Through threat appraisal and ego depletion, the adoption of artificial intelligence has a positive indirect impact on deviant behavior. The implications and limitations of this study are discussed.