Artificial intelligence (AI) awareness and work withdrawal: evaluating chained mediation through negative work-related rumination and emotional exhaustion

Purpose This study aims to investigate whether and how artificial intelligence (AI) awareness affects work withdrawal. Design/methodology/approach This survey garners participation from a total of 305 hotel employees in China. The proposed hypotheses are examined using Hayes’s PROCESS macro. Findings The results indicate that AI awareness could positively affect work withdrawal. Negative work-related rumination and emotional exhaustion respectively mediate this relationship. Furthermore, negative work-related rumination and emotional exhaustion act as chain mediators between AI awareness and work withdrawal. Practical implications Given the growing adoption of AI technology in the hospitality industry, it is imperative that managers intensify their scrutiny of the psychological changes experienced by frontline service employees and allocate more resources to mitigating the impact of AI on their work withdrawal. Originality/value This study contributes to the burgeoning literature on AI by elucidating the chain mediating roles of negative work-related rumination and emotional exhaustion. It also makes a significant forward in examining mediating mechanisms, notably the chain-mediated mechanism, through which AI awareness impacts employee outcomes.