University teachers’ artificial intelligence use, perceived organizational support, and professional identification: Their structural relations with autonomous work motivation, work engagement, and innovative work behavior

Abstract Background The availability of artificial intelligence does not explain why some teachers translate technological opportunities into innovative practice. Drawing on self-determination theory and job demands–resources theory, this study examines autonomous work motivation and work engagement as parallel mediators linking artificial intelligence use, perceived organizational support, and professional identification with innovative work behavior. Methods Survey responses from 508 university teachers in China were matched across three occasions approximately four weeks apart and analyzed using latent-variable modeling with bootstrap inference. Results The findings support distinct indirect associations through teachers’ autonomous reasons for working and their energetic involvement in work. Both mediators remained relevant to subsequent innovation when considered together, although their relative strength could not be established. The total association between artificial intelligence use and innovation remained uncertain, whereas organizational support and professional identification showed positive total associations. These patterns qualify an account of innovation centered on technological use alone and place teachers’ institutional experiences and professional commitments within the same explanatory model. By extending the outcome beyond engagement, the study identifies motivational relationships associated with later innovative activity while distinguishing endorsement of work from investment in it. Conclusions The findings suggest that university initiatives should attend to professional discretion and supportive working conditions alongside access to technology. The observational design supports an account of temporally ordered associations rather than causal mediation.