The rise of artificial intelligence – understanding the AI identity threat at the workplace

Milad Mirbabaie, Felix Brünker, Nicholas Frick, Stefan Stieglitz

Electronic Markets · 2021 · 259 citations · 146 references

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TL;DR

Artificial intelligence is increasingly integrated into enterprises to enhance collaboration and assist employees, yet it can undermine job identity by fundamentally altering workplaces and provoking fears of replacement. The study aims to broaden understanding of AI identity threat by identifying changes to work, loss of status, and AI identity itself as key predictors, thereby extending information systems literature on AI collaboration. The findings reveal that changes to work, loss of status, and AI identity are central predictors of AI identity threat, enabling researchers and practitioners to grasp employee identity implications and relevant factors when introducing AI.

Abstract

Abstract Artificial intelligence (AI) is being increasingly integrated into enterprises to foster collaboration within humanmachine teams and assist employees with work-related tasks. However, introducing AI may negatively impact employees’ identifications with their jobs as AI is expected to fundamentally change workplaces and professions, feeding into individuals’ fears of being replaced. To broaden the understanding of the AI identity threat, the findings of this study reveal three central predictors for AI identity threat in the workplace: changes to work, loss of status position, and AI identity predicting AI identity threat in the workplace. This study enriches information systems literature by extending our understanding of collaboration with AI in the workplace to drive future research in this field. Researchers and practitioners understand the implications of employees’ identity when collaborating with AI and comprehend which factors are relevant when introducing AI in the workplace.

References

146