AI Dependence and Self-Reported Creativity Among Chinese College Students: The Roles of Motivation for AI Use and Perceived AI Literacy

Creativity is a critical higher-order cognitive capacity for college students in the age of artificial intelligence. This study examined the relationship between AI dependence and self-reported creativity among Chinese college students, the mediating roles of motivation for AI use and the moderating role of AI literacy. A total of 5764 valid responses were collected from university students across multiple regions of China. Participants completed measures of AI dependence, perceived AI literacy, motivation for AI use, and self-reported creativity. The results showed that AI dependence was negatively associated with self-reported creativity. Parallel mediation analysis indicated significant negative indirect associations through escape and social motivation, whereas the indirect associations through instrumental and entertainment motivation were positive. In the primary moderated mediation analysis, perceived AI literacy significantly moderated the associations of AI dependence with escape, social, and entertainment motivation, but not with instrumental motivation. The interaction between AI dependence and perceived AI literacy in predicting self-reported creativity was not significant. The study contributes to research on AI use in higher education by identifying differentiated motivational pathways and clarifying the pathway-specific moderating role of perceived AI literacy.