Impacts of AI awareness on proactive service behavior and tacit knowledge sharing among hotel employees

Purpose Using job preservation and conservation of resources theories, this study aims to explore the effects of artificial intelligence awareness (AIA) on hotel employees’ proactive service behavior (PSB) and tacit knowledge sharing (TKS), as well as the mediating role of job preservation motivation (JPM) and the moderating role of job mobility (JM). Design/methodology/approach Hierarchical regression analysis and the bootstrap method were used to test the research hypotheses through two waves of surveys conducted among 376 hotel employees. Findings The results indicated that AIA increased PSB while reducing TKS. JPM fully mediated the relationship between these two processes. Furthermore, JM negatively moderated the relationship between AIA and JPM as well as the indirect effects of AIA on PSB and TKS through JPM. Practical implications This study enhances hotel managers’ understanding of how artificial intelligence (AI) affects employees and offers meaningful insights into how to address behavioral dilemmas in AI-driven contexts. Originality/value Previous AIA research rarely focused on motivational perspectives. This study demonstrated empirically how AIA influenced different behavioral decisions through JPM, thereby providing theoretical support and empirical evidence for hotel managers regarding AIA’s influence on employees.