The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare necessitates a deeper understanding of how digital leadership (DL) shapes employee-AI collaboration, yet its underlying psychological mechanisms remain underexplored.
Objective
This study investigates the dual psychological pathways—through thriving at work (TAW) and job insecurity (JI)—by which DL influences employee-AI collaboration, and examines how AI awareness moderates these indirect effects.
Methods
Survey data from 350 nurses across Chinese healthcare institutions were analyzed using a three-wave longitudinal design.
Results
DL exhibited a dual-pathway effect on employee-AI collaboration: it fostered collaboration by enhancing TAW, but concurrently inhibited it by exacerbating JI. Moreover, AI-augmented awareness strengthened the positive indirect effect via TAW, whereas AI-depleted awareness intensified the negative indirect effect via JI.
Conclusions
DL's dual impact necessitates balanced strategies that leverage its motivational benefits while mitigating JI. These insights offer healthcare leaders actionable pathways to optimize human-AI collaboration.
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