Effects of Employee–Artificial Intelligence (AI) Collaboration on Counterproductive Work Behaviors (CWBs): Leader Emotional Support as a Moderator

The accelerated advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has positioned it as a novel colleague. However, as employees collaborate with AI colleagues in daily work, their communication and interaction with human colleagues may decrease. This may result in feelings of loneliness and a potential reduction in emotional resources, potentially leading to counterproductive work behavior (CWB). Drawing from the conservation of resources (COR) theory, we hypothesize that employee-AI collaboration may amplify employees' CWB due to loneliness and emotional fatigue. The potential mitigating effects of leader emotional support on these outcomes are also considered. To test these hypotheses, a 2 × 2 vignette experiment (N = 167) was conducted. The results demonstrate that employee-AI collaboration exerts a substantial positive influence on loneliness. Loneliness further increases employees' emotional fatigue, which in turn increases CWB. Leader emotional support-the care and motivation demonstrated by leaders has been identified as a key factor in reducing loneliness. This research contributes to the extant literature on employee-AI collaboration and CWB, and expands the application scope of COR. Practical implications arise for managers, who are encouraged to consider the impact of employee-AI collaboration on interpersonal interaction and to address employees' emotional needs in a timely manner.