The influence of generative artificial intelligence usage on employees’ innovative job performance

Hui Zhang, Lidong Zhu, Ayuan Zhang and Kilichov Shohruh

PLOS ONE, 2026, vol. 21, issue 1, 1-17

Abstract: The rapid advancement of AI technology has accelerated the adoption of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools in the workplace, eroding the boundaries between professional responsibilities and personal space, thus impacting employees’ innovative performance. This study empirically examines the link between innovative job performance and GenAI tool usage, framed through the Uses and Gratifications Theory. Analyzing survey data from 366 employees nationwide revealed that: (1) both cognitive and social uses of GenAI tools significantly enhance innovative performance; (2) cognitive use primarily facilitates knowledge transfer behaviors, while social use bolsters resource acquisition. Enhanced knowledge transfer and resource acquisition, in turn, improve job satisfaction, which is pivotal in driving innovative performance. This study introduces a novel framework for utilizing GenAI tools to optimize and manage employee performance within organizational settings.

Date: 2026
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0327786 (text/html)
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id= ... 27786&type=printable (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0327786

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0327786

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in PLOS ONE from Public Library of Science
Bibliographic data for series maintained by plosone ().