Highlights

• This study introduces a dual-path model that explains how the AI disruption threat reduces employee performance through technology insecurity and thriving at work.
• It uniquely demonstrates the moderating role of trait self-esteem in lessening the negative impacts of AI disruption on employees.
• The research presents a novel, field-based empirical investigation of the psychological effects of AI on hospitality workers, utilizing time-lagged data.

Summary

This study examines the impact of the perceived threat of artificial intelligence on the performance and innovation of hospitality employees at work.

Drawing on self-determination theory, the authors show that AI disruption heightens feelings of technology insecurity and reduces employees’ sense of thriving, both of which diminish job performance and creative behavior. However, the findings indicate that employees with higher levels of trait self-esteem are less vulnerable to these adverse effects.

By surveying 500 employees in a Macao resort, the research highlights how psychological responses to AI can shape work outcomes. The study concludes with practical recommendations for organizations to help employees adapt to technological change through targeted support and training initiatives.

Aliana Man Wai Leong, Jing Yi Bai, Muhammad Imran Rasheed, Zahid Hameed, Fevzi Okumus (2025), AI disruption threat and employee outcomes: Role of technology insecurity, thriving at work, and trait self-esteem, International Journal of Hospitality Management, 126, 104064, doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2024.104064