Research Seminar
[Brown Bag] Between Awe and Shame: The Emotional and Interpersonal Consequences of Workplace AI Use by Prof. Yihao Liu, University of Georgia
| Abstract: | Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming how employees approach their work—but not without emotional and interpersonal consequences. This research sheds light on these consequences by drawing from the appraisal theory of emotions to examine how employees feel about their own AI use at work, and how these feelings shape their behaviors. We propose that AI use simultaneously triggers awe—motivating employees to reveal their AI use to coworkers—and shame—motivating them to conceal it. Across a preregistered experiment and a multi-wave, multi-source field study, we find support for these dual emotional and behavioral pathways. We further show that these effects are contingent on the task context: task routineness amplifies feelings of awe while attenuating feelings of shame associated with AI use. We also demonstrate that these disclosure strategies matter for employees’ social integration at work: revealing AI use enhances social integration, while concealing AI use hinders it. Together, our findings highlight how emotional appraisals and disclosure decisions shape employees’ experiences in the emerging era of AI-enhanced work. |
| Date: | May 26 (Tue), 2026 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm |
| Time: | 2:00PM - 3:30PM |
| Venue: | LAU-6-207, Level 6, Lau Ming Wai Academic Building (LAU) |
| Details: | Speaker Bio: Yihao Liu is an associate professor in the Department of Management at the Terry College of Business in the University of Georgia. He received his PhD in Management from the University of Florida and his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Peking University in China. Previously, he worked as an assistant professor in the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He primarily studies employees’ adjustment and regulation at work, especially in three scenarios: 1) when employees encounter adverse work conditions; 2) when they face critical career challenges; and 3) when they work interdependently with others in teams and social networks. His research has appeared in premier management and applied psychology journals including Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology, and Personnel Psychology. He current serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Psychology. |
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