Man or machine – or something in between? Social responses to voice assistants at work and their effects on job satisfaction

Abstract

AI-enabled technology, such as digital voice assistants (VA), affects employees collaborating with it. This study, first, examines employees' perceptions of autonomy, organizational support, and psychological costs when receiving help either from an AI-enabled VA, a human co-worker, or a conventional computer (technology). Second, it analyzes the effects of these perceptions on job satisfaction. In a between-subjects online vignette experiment, 225 student participants assessed a fictitious yet realistic workplace situation of a side job where they received the same help from one of the three sources. Participants collaborating with the VA or the human co-worker reported less autonomy and more psychological costs than the group collaborating with conventional technology. Regarding perceived organizational support, participants perceived the VA and the computer as more similar to each other: Receiving help from the VA or the computer led to less perceived organizational support, compared to receiving help from a human co-worker. Further, autonomy and organizational support were significantly related to job satisfaction. Results show that the different help-sources exert distinct indirect effects on job satisfaction, mediated by differing perceptions of autonomy and organizational support. The findings have important implications for organizations' understanding of how introducing new technologies may influence employees’ perceived job satisfaction.