Hotel staff managed by AI half as likely to show initiative, experiments with 328 workers find

The result matters for hotels moving managerial tasks from people to AI. The study treats self-objectification as the mechanism linking AI supervision to less initiative, which suggests the effect runs through how workers see themselves rather than through task design alone.

Employees with a strong AI identity were less susceptible to self-objectification. The authors recommend AI identity training and employee development programs, though the evidence comes from hypothetical scenarios rather than workplaces that actually use AI managers.

The study addresses the hospitality industry, where AI is increasingly used in daily operations and management. The authors say the effect of shifting managerial roles from humans to AI on hotel employees' cognition and work behavior had been unresolved. They used self-determination theory to frame the question.

Study 1 found that AI management, compared with human management, positively predicted self-objectification. AI identity moderated this effect: employees with a strong AI identity were less susceptible to self-objectification.

Study 2 replicated the Study 1 findings and showed self-objectification mediating the relationship between AI management and proactive work behavior. Logistic regression put the effect at half the likelihood of proactive behavior for employees managed by AI. The authors say hotels should build environments where employees feel empowered and valued, using AI identity training and development programs.