Impact of Different Employee–AI Interaction: Instrumental vs. Emotional Support and Gender Differences

Previous studies have shown that employee–AI interactions increase job insecurity and negative behaviors, mainly due to AI’s focus on task assistance while neglecting its role in emotional support. We categorize employee–AI interactions into two types: using AI for emotional support and using AI for instrumental support. We further differentiate their impact on job insecurity and knowledge hiding. Results from a multi-wave survey involving 495 participants showed that using AI for instrumental support increases job insecurity, subsequently leading to knowledge hiding, while using AI for emotional support reduces these detrimental effects. Furthermore, the mitigating effect of emotional support on job insecurity and knowledge hiding is more pronounced for women than men. No gender differences were found in the impact of instrumental support. Our study contributes to the human–AI interaction literature by exploring how the nature of AI interactions influences workplace behavior.