Long-term effects of AI-Powered robots on employee creativity in the hospitality industry: psychological mechanisms of human–AI collaboration
Xiaolin Shi, Fei Hao, Yue Yuan
Abstract
This study investigates the impact of AI-powered robots on hospitality employees’ creativity and reveals the psychological mechanisms behind this effect. A within-person design using a weekly survey spanning five weeks was conducted with 109 hospitality employees who interacted daily with AI-powered robots. Data were analyzed using multilevel regression techniques. The results indicate that exposure to AI-powered robots enhances employee creativity, mediated by increased work engagement and decreased emotional exhaustion. The perceived usefulness of the robots negatively moderates the relationship between exposure to AI-powered robots and employee creativity. The findings highlight the dual impact of AI-powered robots on employee creativity, emphasizing the need for a balanced integration of robots and employees.