NEUROTICISM AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ANXIETY. THE MEDIATING ROLE OF CORE SELF-EVALUATION

Through a quantitative approach, this paper investigates the relationship between Neuroticism and Artificial Intelligence Anxiety and the mediating role of Core Self-Evaluation in this relationship.As AI technologies become deeply embedded in various sectors such as social media, smart devices, healthcare, and education, understanding how people perceive and interact with Artificial Intelligence is progressively essential.A total of 297 participants, consisting of 32 males and 165 females, completed surveys measuring their Neuroticism, Artificial Intelligence Anxiety, and Core Self-Evaluation levels.The data were collected via Google Forms using the following structured questionnaires: Neuroticism Scale, Artificial Intelligence Anxiety Scale, and Core Self-Evaluation Scale.Results showed significant positive correlations between Neuroticism and Artificial Intelligence anxiety (r=-.301,p<.01) suggesting that individuals with higher levels of AI anxiety are inclined towards adopting more skeptical viewpoints regarding AI technologies.Moreover, three of the four Artificial Intelligence anxiety subscales (job replacement, r=-.178, p<.05; sociotechnical blindness, r=-.208, p<.01, and Artificial Intelligence configuration, r=-.166, p<.05) also showed negative significant correlations with the attitudes toward AI.At the same time, Core Self-Evaluation showed significant negative correlations with the composite score of Artificial Intelligence anxiety (r=.304, p<.01) and all its subscales (learning, p<.01; job replacement, p<.05; sociotechnical blindness, p<.01, and Artificial Intelligence configuration, p<.01).Furthermore, Core Self-Evaluation was found to be a strong mediator between Neuroticism and Artificial Intelligence Anxiety.Understanding the role of AI anxiety and Core Self-Evaluation in shaping attitudes toward Artificial Intelligence can inform the development of strategies to mitigate negative perceptions and foster more positive attitudes toward Artificial Intelligence technologies.