Association Between AI Awareness and Emotional Exhaustion: The Serial Mediation of Job Insecurity and Work Interference with Family

With the development of artificial intelligence (AI) in the working environment, employees’ AI awareness, defined as the extent to which they perceive their job could be replaced by AI, may correlate with their feelings, work–family balance, and emotional status. This study explores the mediation mechanism underlying the association between AI awareness and emotional exhaustion, mediated by job insecurity and work interference with family. Using a sample of a total 303 employees (male = 49.8%), this study conducts regressions with the Bootstrap method for mediation mechanism exploration. AI awareness positively predicts emotional exhaustion. AI awareness positively predicts job insecurity, which in turn positively predicts emotional exhaustion. AI awareness positively predicts work interference with family, which in turn positively predicts emotional exhaustion. Job insecurity and work interference with family serially mediate the association between AI awareness and emotional exhaustion. The findings emphasize the importance for company managers to address job security concerns and support work–life balance by positioning AI as a significant workplace stressor that leads to emotional exhaustion. Practical implications include the need for transparent communication, retraining programs, and flexible work policies to mitigate AI-related stress and promote employee well-being.