How future work self salience shapes the effects of interacting with artificial intelligence

The rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the world of work, leaving individuals wondering what AI means for the future of their career. The current research investigates the moderating role of future work self salience (FWSS) on the effect of interacting with AI on perceived control over one's future work self and proactive career behavior. In a first longitudinal experiment with full-time employees in the UK ( N = 174), participants interacting with AI to solve a task (compared to a control group) experienced increased perceived control over their future work self when FWSS was high, in contrast to those with low FWSS. We replicated this pattern in a second longitudinal study with German business students ( N = 208). Building on these findings, a third longitudinal experiment with German full-time employees ( N = 155) extended the model by demonstrating a moderated mediation: for individuals with high FWSS, AI interaction increased perceived control over the future work self and thus promoted proactive career behavior. In contrast, perceived control and proactive career behavior decreased for those with low FWSS. This research demonstrates the potential impact of AI interactions on work-related outcomes, offering critical insights for both theory and practice. • Future work selves shape the effects of interacting with artificial intelligence (AI) on proactive career behavior. • Future Work Self Salience (FWSS) moderates the effect of AI interaction on perceived control over the future work self. • Individuals interacting with AI perceive increased control over their future work self when FWSS is high. • FWSS moderates the effect of AI interaction on proactive career behavior via perceived control over the future work self.