Role of Risk on Employees’ Willingness to Collaborate with Artificial Intelligence and its Impact on Wellbeing

Due to the superior job performing abilities and increasing computational capabilities, collaborating with artificial-intelligence-based services (AIBS or AI-based services) will be inevitable for employees in the service context. AI-based services in the form of virtual (e.g., chatbot) or physical (e.g., service robot) embodiments, which are characterized by a higher degree of autonomy and are intended to augment the tasks of human employees in a highly collaborative way, will increasingly become an integral part of employee’s work environment. Semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion have been used to identify constructs driving employees’ perception of AI-based services and their impact on wellbeing. Combined with a thorough literature analysis, relations between the identified constructs have been derived from introducing a conceptual model of employees’ willingness to collaborate (WTC). This study identifies technology characteristics, job demands, resources, and control as constructs, directly influencing employees’ perceived risk of AI-based services.