Enhancing employee engagement and knowledge collecting: impact of anthropomorphic features in company generative AI systems
Mai Nguyen
Abstract
This study investigates the impact of anthropomorphic design features in enterprise generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) systems on employee engagement and knowledge collection. Leveraging a two-study approach, we examine how high versus low levels of anthropomorphism in GenAI avatars affect employees’ interactions with these systems. Two experimental studies were conducted. Results indicate that high anthropomorphism enhances both knowledge collection and employee engagement. Mediation analysis further reveals that knowledge collecting mediates the relationship between anthropomorphic design and employee engagement. Results also show that data protection disclosure significantly influences employee engagement and knowledge collecting, with moderated mediation analysis highlighting that high anthropomorphic features positively impact knowledge collection, which in turn enhances employee engagement. The findings highlight the importance of anthropomorphic design in fostering effective employee interactions with GenAI and provide practical insights for optimising AI implementations in organisational settings. This paper contributes to the literature on human-computer interaction by elucidating how anthropomorphism and contextual factors like data protection disclosure influence employee engagement and knowledge management.