Artificial intelligence in hospitality: a transactional stress perspective on the mental health of hospitality workers

The rapid technological development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the hospitality industry significantly influences the mental health of hospitality workers. Based on the transactional theory of stress and coping (TTSC), we examined how AI awareness among hospitality workers may influence their mental health symptoms (e.g. depression and anxiety as measured by the PHQ-4). We collected data from 258 hotel workers by using a time-lagged design with a one-month interval. Results showed that AI awareness contributed to depression and anxiety through role conflict. Furthermore, the AI-enabled human resource (HR) analytics and HR management (HRM) system strength moderated the relationship between AI awareness and role conflict. The moderating effect of AI-enabled HR analytics is facilitated by HRM system strength. Our model, which elucidates the complex mechanisms involved in how AI shapes workers’ mental health, carries important implications for understanding how hospitality organizations can effectively manage technological transformation while supporting workers’ mental health.