The Impact of Artificial Intelligence Usage on Affective Work Well-Being: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective

Despite the growing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into workplace operations, how AI usage influences employees' affective work well-being remains underexplored. To address this gap, this study draws on self-determination theory to propose a moderated mediation model. We conducted a three-wave time-lagged survey of 360 employees and our results indicate that AI usage positively predicts affective work well-being, and this relationship is fully mediated through two parallel paths-work meaningfulness and work engagement. Moreover, human-AI collaboration quality positively moderates these indirect effects. Collectively, these findings extend self-determination theory to AI-augmented work contexts, clarify the psychological mechanisms linking AI usage to employee affective well-being, and provide actionable insights for human-centered AI implementation.