Examining the Impact of Daily AI-Supported Work on Employee Outcomes: A Challenge-Hindrance Approach

Drawing on the Challenge–Hindrance Stressor Framework (CHSF), we examined how AI-supported work functions as a daily stressor that can elicit both engagement and disengagement responses depending on individual challenge and hindrance appraisals. Using a 10-day diary study design conducted in the US (N = 173), we tested dual pathways through which daily AI-supported work influenced employee behavioral and attitudinal responses. On days when employees perceived having more AI-supported work, they were more likely to appraise it as a challenge, which in turn was associated with higher levels of task crafting and innovative work behavior. At the same time, AI-supported work was also appraised as a hindrance, triggering job replacement anxiety and resulting in higher levels of organizational cynicism. Furthermore, AI system evaluation, a general attitude toward AI systems, moderated the hindrance pathway such that individuals with more favorable AI evaluations were less likely to perceive AI-supported work as a hindrance. Our findings extend the CHSF to the context of AI, highlighting that the same AI stimulus can evoke distinct psychological and behavioral responses depending on appraisal and attitude. We discuss implications for theory and for organizations seeking to implement AI in ways that enhance positive employee outcomes while mitigating adverse effects, thereby contributing to a more human-centric approach to AI integration at work.