The Effect of Artificial Intelligence Usage on Employee Service Innovation Behavior: An Information Exchange Perspective

ABSTRACT Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have been increasingly adopted in service industries and are playing a crucial role in affecting service innovation. Drawing on the perspective of information exchange, our research investigates the impact of AI usage on employee service innovation behavior and the underlying mechanism. We conducted a qualitative study, an experimental study, and a field survey to test our hypothesized model. The findings indicate that AI usage at work reduces the information exchange between employees and customers, which, in turn, negatively affects employee service innovation behavior. However, job autonomy can mitigate the negative effects of AI usage on employee‐customer information exchange and service innovation behavior. Our research contributes to the literature on AI usage and service innovation and provides practical insights for using AI effectively in work settings.