AI trust and work meaningfulness: mediating role of AI job crafting and moderating role of leaders’ AI-oriented change behaviour

Integrating social cognitive theory, this study explores the interplay of cognitive, behavioural and environmental factors enabling employees to derive work meaningfulness in AI-employee collaboration. Study 1 examines how employees’ trust in AI influences their work meaningfulness and identifies the mechanisms and boundary conditions through three-wave data collected among 240 high-tech employees from six Chinese technology companies. Results indicate that AI trust is positively related to work meaningfulness. This relationship is partially mediated by AI job crafting and positively moderated by leaders’ AI-oriented change behaviour. Study 2 illustrates the micro-level patterns and mechanisms that observational learning, outcome expectancies and AI self-efficacy play in the relationship through a qualitative case analysis. This study extends the literature on trust in human-technology collaboration, social cognitive theory in AI-involved workplaces, job crafting and leadership behaviour, providing insights into how employees adapt to human–AI collaborative workplaces. The findings offer practical guidance for organisations seeking to enhance work meaningfulness by fostering AI trust and leadership support.