ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Organizational Psychology
AI technology adoption and intergenerational knowledge transfer among older employees
Provisionally accepted
- School of Economic Management and Law, Jilin Normal University, Siping, China
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With the continuous development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, AI is fundamentally reshaping organizational management practices and has become a crucial tool for organizational transformation and upgrading. However, empirical research on the consequences of AI technology adoption remains scarce, particularly for typical groups such as older employees. Based on the Job Demands–Resources (JD–R) model and the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study treats identity threat and relational crafting as mediating variables and digital self-efficacy as a moderating variable to construct a moderated sequential mediation model that illustrates how AI technology adoption drives intergenerational knowledge transfer. Using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) and analyzing 635 valid questionnaires with SPSS and Mplus, the study yields the following conclusions: AI technology adoption positively influences intergenerational knowledge transfer; identity threat and relational crafting mediate the relationship between AI technology adoption and intergenerational knowledge transfer; and digital self-efficacy negatively moderates the impact of AI technology adoption on identity threat, thereby regulating the mediating pathways. Based on fsQCA results, three antecedent configurations that stimulate intergenerational knowledge transfer among older employees are identified. By developing a model that incorporates both positive and negative effects, this study clarifies the multiple impacts of AI technology adoption on intergenerational knowledge transfer, enriches research on the consequences of AI technology adoption, and complements existing studies that examine unilateral mechanisms (positive or negative). Consequently, it provides practical insights for organizations seeking to develop inclusive technological-culture strategies.
Keywords: AI technology adoption, Intergenerational knowledge transfer, relationalcrafting, older employees, Identity threat
Received: 26 Jul 2025; Accepted: 07 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Guo and Wei. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yanhong Guo, guoyanhong@jlnu.edu.cn
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