Organizational AI investment and its ripple effects: an investigation of job insecurity, coworker conflict and work–family conflict

Purpose: Drawing on conservation of resources (COR) theory and social cognitive theory (SCT), this study investigates how organizational artificial intelligence (AI) investment influences employee experiences of coworker conflict and work–family conflict. We examine job insecurity as a mediating mechanism and general human resource management (HRM) practices as a boundary condition in these relationships. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses time-lagged data (N = 486) collected from employees in various industries in South Korea. Findings: The results reveal that organizational AI investment increases employees’ perceptions of job insecurity, which in turn leads to increased coworker conflict and work–family conflict. The analysis also demonstrates that organizational AI investment has both direct and indirect effects on interpersonal conflicts, indicating partial mediation through job insecurity. The moderated mediation analysis shows that the relationship between organizational AI investment and job insecurity becomes weaker when HRM practices are well-implemented. Originality/value: This study extends research beyond work-specific outcomes by demonstrating spillover effects of organizational AI investment into interpersonal relationships both within and outside the workplace. By integrating COR theory and SCT, it provides a theoretical framework for understanding both resource depletion and cognitive appraisal processes in AI contexts. Additionally, this study offers insights into how existing HRM practices, despite their general nature, can help mitigate negative impacts of organizational AI investment while acknowledging the potential need for more AI-specific interventions.