From Synergy to Strain: Exploring the Psychological Mechanisms Linking Employee–AI Collaboration and Knowledge Hiding

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Abstract
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes an integral part of organizational operations, collaboration between humans and AI is transforming employees’ work experiences and behavioral patterns. This study examines the psychological challenges and coping responses associated with such collaboration. Drawing on Cognitive Appraisal Theory, we construct and test a theoretical framework that connects employee–AI collaboration to knowledge hiding via job insecurity, while considering AI trust as a moderating variable. Data were collected through a three-wave time-lagged survey of 348 employees working in knowledge-intensive enterprises in China. The empirical results demonstrate that (1) employee–AI collaboration elevates perceptions of job insecurity; (2) job insecurity fosters knowledge-hiding behavior; (3) job insecurity mediates the link between collaboration and knowledge hiding; and (4) AI trust buffers the positive effect of collaboration on job insecurity, thereby reducing its indirect impact on knowledge hiding. These findings reveal the paradoxical role of AI collaboration: although it enhances efficiency, it may also provoke defensive reactions that inhibit knowledge exchange. By highlighting the role of AI trust in shaping employees’ cognitive appraisals, this study advances understanding of how cognitive appraisals influence human adaptation to intelligent technologies. Practical insights are offered for managers aiming to cultivate trust-based and psychologically secure environments that promote effective human–AI collaboration and organizational innovation.

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