Artificial Intelligence and Career Inequality at Work: Dual Pathways of Technostress in Socio-Technical Systems

• In Event: Organizations, Occupations, and Work Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 1: Artificial Intelligence and Work

Abstract

The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has profoundly transformed organizational systems, reshaping how employees interact with technology and adapt to changing work environments. However, the systemic mechanisms through which AI-induced technostress influences employee career growth remain insufficiently understood. Grounded in a socio-technical systems perspective, this study conceptualizes organizations as adaptive systems where technological, organizational, and human subsystems dynamically interact. We propose a dual-path framework that distinguishes between challenge-related technostress (a resource-gain process) and hindrance-related technostress (aresource-loss process), elucidating how AI-related pressures can simultaneously foster
and hinder career development. Furthermore, employee resilience and organizational AI support are incorporated as systemic moderators that enhance or buffer these effects within the human–AI–organization system. Using two-stage survey data from over 400 employees, the empirical analysis validates all hypothesized relationships. The findings reveal that AI challenge-related technostress stimulates proactive adaptation and skill development, whereas hindrance-related technostress generates anxiety and insecurity, thereby impeding growth. This research extends systems theory by demonstrating how technostress functions as an emergent prop- erty of human–technology interactions and provides actionable insights for designing more adaptive and resilient socio-technical work systems.

Authors

• tiezeng Jin, Harbin Institute of Technology

• Xinglan Yang

• Li Zhang