AI invading the workplace: negative emotions towards the organizational use of personal virtual assistants

Olivia Hornung () and Stefan Smolnik ()
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Olivia Hornung: University of Hagen
Stefan Smolnik: University of Hagen

Electronic Markets, 2022, vol. 32, issue 1, No 8, 123-138

Abstract: Abstract Personal virtual assistants (PVAs) based on artificial intelligence are frequently used in private contexts but have yet to find their way into the workplace. Regardless of their potential value for organizations, the relentless implementation of PVAs at the workplace is likely to run into employee resistance. To understand what motivates such resistance, it is necessary to investigate the primary motivators of human behavior, namely emotions. This paper uncovers emotions related to organizational PVA use, primarily focusing on threat emotions. To achieve our goal, we conducted an in-depth qualitative study, collecting data from 45 employees in focus-group discussions and individual interviews. We identified and categorized emotions according to the framework for classifying emotions Beaudry and Pinsonneault (2010) designed. Our results show that loss emotions, such as dissatisfaction and frustration, as well as deterrence emotions, such as fear and worry, constitute valuable cornerstones for the boundaries of organizational PVA use.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; Emotions; Personal virtual assistants; Interview study; Technology aversion; Appraisal theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O O3 O33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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DOI: 10.1007/s12525-021-00493-0

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