“Remaining Vigilant” While “Enjoying Prosperity”: How Artificial Intelligence Usage Impacts Employees’ Innovative Behavior and Proactive Skill Development

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a crucial element in the competitive advantage of enterprises, it is important to understand how to stimulate employees’ creativity and initiative to cope with AI-driven changes. Drawing from the traditional Chinese wisdom of “remaining vigilant while enjoying prosperity” and based on the Conservation of Resources Theory, this study explored the impact of AI usage on employees’ innovative behavior and proactive skill development. The results of a three-stage survey of 350 questionnaires showed that (1) AI usage positively influences employees’ innovative behavior and proactive skill development; (2) job absorption partially mediates the relationship between AI usage and employees’ innovative behavior; (3) AI job replacement anxiety partially mediates the relationship between AI usage and proactive skill development; and (4) employees’ learning goal orientation positively moderates the impact of AI usage on innovative behavior through job absorption and on proactive skill development through AI job replacement anxiety. This study provides insights into how individuals respond to AI-driven changes and offers a novel perspective for developing research on AI usage at the individual level.