A new research study led by Dr. Yasushi Watanabe and co-authored by Associate Prof. Masataka Nakayama, Prof. Kosuke Takemura (Shiga University), and Prof. Yukiko Uchida has been published in the international journal Current Psychology.

The study examined how work feedback from an AI chatbot may affect workers’ work engagement (e.g. enthusiasm and vitality for their jobs), drawing upon a relational mobility perspective in the workplace (i.e., the extent of opportunities to develop new relationships with others).

The researchers conducted an experiment using a ChatGPT-based AI chatbot with 102 participants, including both company employees and freelancers in Japan. Participants were randomly assigned to either a “positive AI feedback” group (54 people) or a “negative AI feedback” group (48 people). The results showed that in low relational mobility environments (i.e., workplaces with fixed business relationships and limited opportunities for new relationships), positive feedback from the AI chatbot significantly enhanced work engagement in professionals. On the other hand, negative feedback showed no significant effect in these contexts.

These findings contradict hypotheses based on existing cultural psychology theories and suggest the need for further research into the employee–AI relationship in the workplace.

The full paper is open access and available at this link.