Working With a Digital Human Avatar: Employee– AI Symbiosis Shapes the Double‐Edged Sword Effects of Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) Awareness in the Hospitality Industry

ABSTRACT The adoption of AI‐powered digital human avatars (DHAs) in the hospitality and tourism sectors marks a shift toward “human‐AI symbiosis,” where AI evolves from being a tool to a coworker involved in decision‐making processes. Understanding employees' cognitive and behavioral responses to AI integration is thus crucial. Grounded in the transactional theory of stress and coping, this study conducted two scenario‐based experiments to examine the double‐edged sword effects of DHA‐induced AI awareness on employees' learning behavior and knowledge management. Study 1 reveals that high AI awareness fosters constructive coping behaviors in exploitative and exploratory learning via problem‐solving pondering. However, it also triggers destructive coping, promoting AI‐directed knowledge withholding and information deception via affective rumination. Study 2 shows that the positive impact of problem‐solving pondering on learning diminishes as an organization's digital transformation readiness increases. These findings offer valuable insights for advancing management theory and practical strategies toward fostering human–AI collaboration.