Is it a stress Buffer or a Cognitive Catalyst?--Deconstructing the Double-Edged Sword Effect of AI Consciousness on Employee Adaptive Performance

Guohong Deng () and Li Hui ()
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Guohong Deng: Nanjing Tech University, School of Economics and Management
Li Hui: Nanjing Tech University, School of Economics and Management

A chapter in Proceedings of the 2026 4th International Conference on Digital Economy and Management Science (CDEMS 2026), 2026, pp 20-28 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Against the backdrop of the widespread application of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in the workplace, employees’ cognition and attitudes toward AI—namely AI awareness—have increasingly become a key factor affecting their work adaptability. Based on the cognitive appraisal theory of stress, this study distinguishes AI awareness into challenge awareness and threat awareness, and explores their dual-edged effects on employees’ adaptive performance. Through a questionnaire survey collecting 350 valid responses, the results show that AI challenge awareness significantly and positively predicts adaptive performance, whereas AI threat awareness significantly and negatively affects adaptive performance. This reveals that individuals’ cognitive appraisals of AI technology application—viewing it as either a challenge or a threat—constitute an important mechanism influencing their adaptive behaviors. The study not only enriches the theoretical understanding of the antecedents of adaptive performance but also provides practical insights for organizations on how to guide employees’ perceptions and implement effective interventions during AI transformation.

Keywords: AI challenge awareness; AI threat awareness; adaptive performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.2991/978-94-6239-699-9_4

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