AI Awareness as a Workplace Stressor Examining Emotional Exhaustion Through Job Insecurity and Work Family Interference

AI Awareness as a Workplace Stressor Examining Emotional Exhaustion Through Job Insecurity and Work Family Interference | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article AI Awareness as a Workplace Stressor Examining Emotional Exhaustion Through Job Insecurity and Work Family Interference Diyani Balthazaar, Radna Andi Wibowo This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9220394/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract As the use of artificial intelligence (AI) gradually becomes an integral part of contemporary work settings, the awareness of AI, which can be defined as the extent to which employees feel that their jobs can be replaced by the automated systems, has proven to be a potentially influential factor of affective and psychosocial consequences, such as affective states, work-family balance, and emotional well-being on the whole. The present investigation aims at clarifying the mediating variables that relate AI awareness to emotional exhaustion, and in particular, the mediator of the relationship between perceived job insecurity and work demands and family obligations. The study utilised a convenience sample of 303 employees including 49.8% men to conduct hierarchical regression models with bootstrap resampling to investigate mediation. The analytic approach included direct effect, indirect paths of AI awareness to emotional exhaustions and their serial mediation, and then the indirect path of the same to work insecurity and through work-family interference. The results showed that there was a significant positive relation between AI awareness and emotional exhaustion. Moreover, AI awareness had a positive relationship with perceived job insecurity that, in its turn, had a positive relationship with emotional exhaustion. Paralleled analyses indicated that AI awareness was also related to increased work-family interference which also was related to increased emotional exhaustion. More importantly, job insecurity and work family interference sequentially combined to mediate the relationship between AI awareness and emotional exhaustion which implies a compounded negative route. Such findings highlight the urgent need that organisational leaders should address the twin issues of maintaining job security and achieving a balanced work-life environment in a workplace where AI is being introduced as a relevant source of stress in the workplace. In practise, it will entail the open discussion of AI implementation, designing the overall reskilling programmes, and introducing the flexible working models that will help reduce AI stress factors and protect the psychological well-being of the employees. AI awareness emotional exhaustion job insecurity work interference with family Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers invited by journal 20 Apr, 2026 Editor invited by journal 20 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 18 Apr, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 16 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 16 Apr, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9220394","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":630391137,"identity":"be17001c-4b98-48f7-af9c-c8971bf58a1a","order_by":0,"name":"Diyani Balthazaar","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"Woxsen University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Diyani","middleName":"","lastName":"Balthazaar","suffix":""},{"id":630391138,"identity":"ef4ef8a4-bb4e-4467-9ecf-40e45594a089","order_by":1,"name":"Radna Andi Wibowo","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Woxsen University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Radna","middleName":"Andi","lastName":"Wibowo","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-03-25 08:38:49","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9220394/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9220394/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":108803531,"identity":"b692be04-2a15-4b16-9af5-b5c325d374c5","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-05-08 14:58:32","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":348970,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"AIAwareness.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9220394/v1_covered_0e246534-b69b-4f75-a7a0-030792b658df.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"AI Awareness as a Workplace Stressor Examining Emotional Exhaustion Through Job Insecurity and Work Family Interference","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-analytics","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Analytics](https://www.springer.com/journal/44257)","snPcode":"44257","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/44257/3","title":"Discover Analytics","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"AI awareness, emotional exhaustion, job insecurity, work interference with family","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9220394/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9220394/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eAs the use of artificial intelligence (AI) gradually becomes an integral part of contemporary work settings, the awareness of AI, which can be defined as the extent to which employees feel that their jobs can be replaced by the automated systems, has proven to be a potentially influential factor of affective and psychosocial consequences, such as affective states, work-family balance, and emotional well-being on the whole. 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