Article: The impact of enterprise artificial intelligence applications on employee emotional labour Journal: International Journal of Information and Communication Technology (IJICT) 2026 Vol.27 No.32 pp.82 - 99 Abstract: This study explores the impact mechanism of AI application on employees' emotional labour, aiming to balance AI empowerment and employees' mental health. Based on conservation of resources theory and emotional regulation theory, 181 employees from multiple industries were sampled. Data were collected via standardised scales, regression analysis was employed to analyse the relationships between AI automation level, intelligent interaction, organisational support and employees' emotional expression intensity, emotional regulation difficulty, and emotional exhaustion perception. The study found that automation level was significantly positively correlated with emotional expression intensity (β = 0.220, p < 0.05), but excessively high automation level tended to cause employees' emotional exhaustion. Intelligent interaction level was significantly negatively correlated with emotional regulation difficulty (β = -0.261, p < 0.05). Organisational support shows duality, positively correlating with exhaustion (β = 0.816, p < 0.001) but buffering pressure if humanised. The study reveals AI exerts a 'double-edged sword' effect on emotional labour. Enterprises should optimise human-computer collaboration and provide humanised organisational support. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: The impact of enterprise artificial intelligence applications on employee emotional labour

Authors: Shuangshuang Chen

Addresses: Business School, Jiangsu Open University, No. 399 Jiangdong North Road, Gulou District, Nanjing, China; Jiangsu Innovation Ecology Research Institute, No. 399 Jiangdong North Road, Gulou District, Nanjing, China

Abstract: This study explores the impact mechanism of AI application on employees' emotional labour, aiming to balance AI empowerment and employees' mental health. Based on conservation of resources theory and emotional regulation theory, 181 employees from multiple industries were sampled. Data were collected via standardised scales, regression analysis was employed to analyse the relationships between AI automation level, intelligent interaction, organisational support and employees' emotional expression intensity, emotional regulation difficulty, and emotional exhaustion perception. The study found that automation level was significantly positively correlated with emotional expression intensity (β = 0.220, p < 0.05), but excessively high automation level tended to cause employees' emotional exhaustion. Intelligent interaction level was significantly negatively correlated with emotional regulation difficulty (β = -0.261, p < 0.05). Organisational support shows duality, positively correlating with exhaustion (β = 0.816, p < 0.001) but buffering pressure if humanised. The study reveals AI exerts a 'double-edged sword' effect on emotional labour. Enterprises should optimise human-computer collaboration and provide humanised organisational support.

Keywords: artificial intelligence; emotional labour; emotional regulation; workplace psychology.

DOI: 10.1504/IJICT.2026.152859

International Journal of Information and Communication Technology, 2026 Vol.27 No.32, pp.82 - 99

Received: 12 Nov 2025
Accepted: 29 Dec 2025
Published online: 13 Apr 2026 *

Title: The impact of enterprise artificial intelligence applications on employee emotional labour

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