Can artificial intelligence’s limitations drive innovative work behaviour?

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is deemed to increase workers' productivity by enhancing their creative abilities and acting as a general-purpose tool for innovation. While much is known about AI's ability to create value through innovation, less is known about how AI's limitations drive innovative work behaviour (IWB). With AI's limits in perspective, innovative work behaviour might serve as workarounds to compensate for AI limitations. Therefore, the guiding research question is: How will AI limitations, rather than its apparent transformational strengths, drive workers' innovative work behaviour in a workplace? A search protocol was employed to identify 65 articles based on relevant keywords and article selection criteria using the Scopus database. The thematic analysis suggests several themes: (i) Robots make mistakes, and such mistakes stimulate workers' IWB, (ii) AI triggers 'fear' in workers, and this 'fear' stimulates workers' IWB, (iii) Workers are reskilled and upskilled to compensate for AI limitations, (iv) AI interface stimulates worker engagement, (v) Algorithmic bias requires IWB, and (vi) AI works as a generalpurpose tool for IWB. In contrast to prior reviews, which generally focus on the apparent transformational strengths of AI in the workplace, this review primarily identifies AI limitations before suggesting that the limitations could also drive innovative work behaviour. Propositions are included after each theme to encourage future research.

How Employee Career Sustainability Affects Innovative Work Behavior under Digitalization

“…For instance, Oppi et al (2020) [8] stress that employees use IWB as a problem-focused strategy to cope with intensified task requirements when confronting career challenges. Zirar (2023) [9] suggests that when perceiving more threats or fewer opportunities for future career development, employees may participate in innovative vocational behaviors like job crafting. On the downside, other scholars argue that striving for career sustainability can sometimes hurt workers' well-being, potentially stifling their passion for innovation.…”

The moderating role of ethical awareness in the relationship between nurses’ artificial intelligence perceptions, attitudes, and innovative work behavior: a cross-sectional study

“…AI ethics awareness and attitude toward AI affect nursing behavior [ 13 ]. AI has been proposed to boost nurses’ creativity, which boosts productivity [ 14 ], as shown in a conceptual model Fig. 1 .…”

“…[ 11 , 18 , 20 , 21 ]. Furthermore, Zirar (2023) demonstrated that by fostering creativity and serving as a versatile tool for innovation, artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to enhance workers’ productivity [ 22 ]. Hence, for nurses to enhance their knowledge and deliver high-quality care, it is crucial for them to understand AI and ethical concepts and to have a positive attitude towards them.…”