Moral AI, Moral Individuals?

Abstract

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Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has gained popularity for its ability to revolution work, business, and significantly improve the efficiency of human-AI interaction. Characterized as possessing human-like abilities and minds, generative AI has drawn much attention among scholars and practitioners. This article explores the following research question: “how perceived mind (i.e, perceived AI morality) and perceived substitutive role (i.e., AI awareness) of generative AI impact the employees’ unethical behavior using generative AI?” Drawing upon the literature of anthropomorphism and social schemas, we propose when individuals perceive high levels of morality of generative AI, they are more willing to pursuit a responsible use of it. We tested our research model in a three-wave survey of 641 employees. The results demonstrated that perceived AI morality decreased employees’ propensity to make moral disengagement, leading to the decline of their unethical behavior using generative AI. Besides, individuals with low level of AI awareness or did not regard the generative AI as a substitutive role are less inclined to make moral disengagement and then engage less in unethical behavior using generative AI. These findings have implications for theory and practice concerning employees’ responsible use of generative AI.