Reframing Stress Management in Digitized Workplaces: The Mediating Role of AI-Enabled Ease of Use

The rise of AI technologies in high-pressure industrial settings presents both opportunities and psychological challenges for employee stress management.This conceptual paper extends the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping (TMSC) by introducing AI-enabled ease of use (AI-EoU) as a dynamic, psychologically meaningful resource in the secondary appraisal process.Rather than viewing ease of use as a static technical attribute, the study reframes AI-EoU as a cognitive lens that shapes how individuals interpret, evaluate, and respond to workrelated stressors in digitized environments.Drawing on evidence from the manufacturing sector in Shandong, China, the proposed framework positions AI-EoU as a mediator linking cognitive appraisal, emotional regulation, behavioral coping strategies, workload perception, and stress outcomes.By visualizing this mechanism and suggesting measurement pathways, the model offers a theoretical foundation for future empirical validation through structural equation modeling.It also provides practical insights into the design of user-centered AI systems that promote adaptive coping and workplace well-being in increasingly intelligent work settings.