More Than a Tool: How Anthropomorphism of AI Agents Leads to Emotional Attachment in the Workplace

This study aims to analyze how cognitive and emotional anthropomorphism of AI agents influences the formation of employee emotional attachment, mediated by social presence and empathy toward AI agents. All seven hypotheses received empirical support. Emotional anthropomorphism had a stronger impact on social presence and empathy compared to cognitive anthropomorphism. Social presence was the strongest predictor of emotional attachment, while empathy provided an additional statistically significant effect. IBM SPSS Statistics 31 and IBM SPSS AMOS 30 software packages were used for data analysis. Theoretically, the study extends attachment theory and the CASA paradigm to the context of human-AI agent interactions in organizations, and also substantiates the need to separate cognitive and emotional anthropomorphism as independent constructs with distinct mechanisms of influence. Practically, the results allow AI system developers and HR professionals to better understand the emotional consequences of anthropomorphic design, highlighting both its potential for enhancing engagement and the associated risks of developing overdependence and resistance to change.