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The effects of generative AI usage on employee knowledge behavior: a perspective based on the Automation-Augmentation
Zhaoyang Liu1, Changchun Gao1, Chenhui Yu1
1Glorious Sun School of Business and Management, Donghua University, Shanghai, China.
Frontiers in Psychology
|July 13, 2026
Summary
Generative AI impacts knowledge workers by boosting self-efficacy for knowledge sharing and increasing job insecurity for knowledge hiding. The net effect on knowledge behavior depends on organizational climate.
Area of Science:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Organizational Behavior
- Knowledge Management
Background:
- Generative AI is transforming knowledge work, but its effects on employee knowledge behaviors are not well understood.
- Existing theories offer fragmented explanations for AI's dual impact on knowledge sharing and hiding.
- The Automation-Augmentation Paradox and Cognitive Appraisal Theory provide a framework for examining these complex effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how generative AI usage influences both knowledge sharing and knowledge hiding among employees.
- To develop and test a dual-pathway moderated mediation model explaining these influences.
- To introduce Knowledge Behavior Relative Intensity as a measure of net knowledge behavior.
Main Methods:
- A dual-pathway moderated mediation model was constructed.
- Survey data from 428 knowledge workers in China were analyzed.
- Hierarchical regression and PROCESS bootstrap analyses were employed to test hypotheses.
Main Results:
- Generative AI usage positively predicted both knowledge sharing and knowledge hiding, with sharing being stronger.
- AI usage enhanced self-efficacy (promoting sharing) and job insecurity (promoting hiding).
- Competitive psychological climate amplified both the augmentation and automation pathways.
Conclusions:
- Generative AI has paradoxical effects on knowledge behavior, simultaneously encouraging sharing and hiding.
- The net impact is influenced by the interplay of AI's automation and augmentation mechanisms.
- Organizations must consider psychological climate when implementing AI to manage knowledge governance effectively.
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