When AI gets Personal: Employee emotional responses to anthropomorphic AI agents in a virtual workspace
Understanding how AI influences employee emotions is becoming critical as organizations prepare for widespread AI agent deployment. While existing research has explored human-AI interactions in corporate settings, little is known about how employees emotionally navigate relationships with AI agents...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949882125000738 |
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| _version_ | 1849234007699488768 |
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| author | Anand P.A. van Zelderen Sinuo Wu Gergely Koszo Jochen I. Menges |
| author_facet | Anand P.A. van Zelderen Sinuo Wu Gergely Koszo Jochen I. Menges |
| author_sort | Anand P.A. van Zelderen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Understanding how AI influences employee emotions is becoming critical as organizations prepare for widespread AI agent deployment. While existing research has explored human-AI interactions in corporate settings, little is known about how employees emotionally navigate relationships with AI agents exhibiting distinct personality traits. This empirical study examines white-collar employees' emotional responses while interacting with three generative AI agents in a virtual workspace, revealing novel social dynamics enabled by AI technologies. Using qualitative methods and inductive analysis, our findings show that anthropomorphic AI agents evoke a broad spectrum of emotions, from connection and contentment to amusement and frustration, extending beyond those typically triggered by web-based AI agents. Notably, participants experienced new emotional subsets, including unique manifestations of relational assurance and perceived worthlessness, which introduces new emotional subcategories within established frameworks.Moreover, the visual embodiment of AI agents in virtual workspaces significantly shapes user expectations and satisfaction. While a more human-like appearance can enhance engagement, it also introduces risks—a mismatch between an AI's visual representation and its actual behavior can heighten disappointment if the AI fails to meet human-like expectations. As organizations integrate AI agents into the workplace, our findings provide key insights for designing effective human-AI interactions. We emphasize the importance of human-centered design approaches that foster, rather than hinder, employee engagement, ensuring AI contributes positively to corporate environments. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2d906ab1791a49aeb07323d503e4ea97 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2949-8821 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans |
| spelling | doaj-art-2d906ab1791a49aeb07323d503e4ea972025-08-20T04:03:18ZengElsevierComputers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans2949-88212025-08-01510018910.1016/j.chbah.2025.100189When AI gets Personal: Employee emotional responses to anthropomorphic AI agents in a virtual workspaceAnand P.A. van Zelderen0Sinuo Wu1Gergely Koszo2Jochen I. Menges3University of Zurich, Plattenstrasse 14, 8032, Zurich, SwitzerlandUniversity of South-Eastern Norway, Bredalsveien 14, 3511, Hønefoss, Norway; Corresponding author. USN School of Business, Department of Business, Marketing and Law Bredalsveien 14, 3511 Hønefoss, NorwayUniversity of Zurich, Plattenstrasse 14, 8032, Zurich, SwitzerlandUniversity of Zurich, Plattenstrasse 14, 8032, Zurich, SwitzerlandUnderstanding how AI influences employee emotions is becoming critical as organizations prepare for widespread AI agent deployment. While existing research has explored human-AI interactions in corporate settings, little is known about how employees emotionally navigate relationships with AI agents exhibiting distinct personality traits. This empirical study examines white-collar employees' emotional responses while interacting with three generative AI agents in a virtual workspace, revealing novel social dynamics enabled by AI technologies. Using qualitative methods and inductive analysis, our findings show that anthropomorphic AI agents evoke a broad spectrum of emotions, from connection and contentment to amusement and frustration, extending beyond those typically triggered by web-based AI agents. Notably, participants experienced new emotional subsets, including unique manifestations of relational assurance and perceived worthlessness, which introduces new emotional subcategories within established frameworks.Moreover, the visual embodiment of AI agents in virtual workspaces significantly shapes user expectations and satisfaction. While a more human-like appearance can enhance engagement, it also introduces risks—a mismatch between an AI's visual representation and its actual behavior can heighten disappointment if the AI fails to meet human-like expectations. As organizations integrate AI agents into the workplace, our findings provide key insights for designing effective human-AI interactions. We emphasize the importance of human-centered design approaches that foster, rather than hinder, employee engagement, ensuring AI contributes positively to corporate environments.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949882125000738Artificial intelligenceAnthropomorphismEmotionsHuman-AI interactionVirtual reality |
| spellingShingle | Anand P.A. van Zelderen Sinuo Wu Gergely Koszo Jochen I. Menges When AI gets Personal: Employee emotional responses to anthropomorphic AI agents in a virtual workspace Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans Artificial intelligence Anthropomorphism Emotions Human-AI interaction Virtual reality |
| title | When AI gets Personal: Employee emotional responses to anthropomorphic AI agents in a virtual workspace |
| title_full | When AI gets Personal: Employee emotional responses to anthropomorphic AI agents in a virtual workspace |
| title_fullStr | When AI gets Personal: Employee emotional responses to anthropomorphic AI agents in a virtual workspace |
| title_full_unstemmed | When AI gets Personal: Employee emotional responses to anthropomorphic AI agents in a virtual workspace |
| title_short | When AI gets Personal: Employee emotional responses to anthropomorphic AI agents in a virtual workspace |
| title_sort | when ai gets personal employee emotional responses to anthropomorphic ai agents in a virtual workspace |
| topic | Artificial intelligence Anthropomorphism Emotions Human-AI interaction Virtual reality |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949882125000738 |
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