Artficial Intelligence and Creative Worker In Indonesia: The Double Edge Sword Effect
The increasing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace has raised concerns about its implications for employees, particularly creative workers, who are considered vulnerable to technological disruption. This study aimed to examine the influence of AI awareness on individual work performance, mediated by job insecurity and work engagement, among creative workers in Indonesia. A quantitative approach was employed through a cross-sectional survey of 227 creative workers from various creative occupations in Indonesia using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with LISREL version 8.80 to examine both direct and indirect relationships among the proposed variables. The findings revealed that AI awareness positively affected job insecurity (β = 0.62, t = 7.95) and work engagement (β = 0.23, t = 2.42), while job insecurity negatively influenced work engagement (β = −0.26, t = −2.81). Furthermore, work engagement positively affected individual work performance (β = 0.72, t = 7.56). Work engagement significantly mediated the relationship between AI awareness and individual work performance (t = 2.21), whereas job insecurity significantly mediated the relationship between AI awareness and work engagement (t = −2.03). However, the serial mediating effect of job insecurity and work engagement on the relationship between AI awareness and individual work performance was not significant (t = −1.95). These findings indicate that creative workers perceive AI as a double-edged phenomenon: although it raises concerns regarding job continuity, it may also stimulate engagement that supports performance. By integrating the STARA awareness framework and the Job Demands–Resources theory, this study contributes to the current body of research on employees' psychological responses to AI-driven transformation. It offers practical insights to help organizations foster adaptive attitudes toward AI while maintaining employee engagement and performance amid ongoing technological transformation.
Keywords: AI awareness; Job insecurity; Work engagement; Individual work performance; Creative workers.
Alnagbi, M. A., Aldabbas, H., Gernal, L., Elamin, A. M., & Ahmed, A. Z. (2025). Work engagement and individual work performance in the UAE: the mediating role of work-life balance. Frontiers in Sociology, 10, 1567207.
Amankwah-Amoah, J., Abdalla, S., Mogaji, E., Elbanna, A., & Dwivedi, Y. K. (2024). The impending disruption of creative industries by generative AI: Opportunities, challenges, and research agenda. International Journal of Information Management, 79, 102759.
Bakker, A. B. (2022). The social psychology of work engagement: State of the field. Career Development International, 27(1), 36–53.
Bankins, S., Ocampo, A. C., Marrone, M., Restubog, S. L. D., & Woo, S. E. (2024). A multilevel review of artificial intelligence in organizations: Implications for organizational behavior research and practice. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 45(2), 159–182.
Brougham, D., & Haar, J. (2018). Smart technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and algorithms (STARA): Employees’ perceptions of our future workplace. Journal of Management & Organization, 24(2), 239–257.
Cao, J., Liu, J., & Wong, J. W. C. (2024). JD-R model on job insecurity and the moderating effect of COVID-19 perceived susceptibility. Current Psychology, 43(18), 16890–16904.
Ding, L. (2021). Employees’ Challenge-Hindrance Appraisals toward STARA Awareness and Competitive Productivity: A Micro-Level Case. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 33(9):2950–2969.
Dong, X., Tian, Y., He, M., & Wang, T. (2025). When knowledge workers meet AI? The double-edged sword effects of AI adoption on innovative work behavior. Journal of Knowledge Management, 29(1), 113–147.
Guo, J., Qiu, Y., & Gan, Y. (2022). Workplace incivility and work engagement: The mediating role of job insecurity and the moderating role of self‐perceived employability. Managerial and Decision Economics, 43(1), 192–205.
Hair, J. F., Black, W.C., Babin, B.J., & Anderson, R.E. (2019). Multivariate Data Analysis.
Jia, N., Luo, X., Fang, Z., & Liao, C. (2024). When and how artificial intelligence augments employee creativity. Academy of Management Journal, 67(1), 5–32.
Karatepe, O. M., Rezapouraghdam, H., & Hassannia, R. (2020). Job insecurity, work engagement and their effects on hotel employees’ non-green and nonattendance behaviors. International Journal Of Hospitality Management, 87, 102472.
Kong, X., Yuan, W., & Ma, C. (2026). Service robots, artificial intelligence awareness, self-efficacy and work engagement. Management Decision, 64(5), 1960-1977.
Koopmans, L., Bernaards, C. M., Hildebrandt, V. H., Schaufeli, W. B., de Vet Henrica, C. W., & Van Der Beek, A. J. (2011). Conceptual frameworks of individual work performance: A systematic review. Journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 53(8), 856–866.
Lingmont, D. N., & Alexiou, A. (2020). The contingent effect of job automating technology awareness on perceived job insecurity: Exploring the moderating role of organizational culture. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 161, 120302.
Mazzetti, G., Robledo, E., Vignoli, M., Topa, G., Guglielmi, D., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2023). Work engagement: A meta-analysis using the job demands-resources model. Psychological Reports, 126(3), 1069–1107.
McGuire, J., De Cremer, D., & Van de Cruys, T. (2024). Establishing the importance of co-creation and self-efficacy in creative collaboration with artificial intelligence. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 18525.
Neuber, L., Englitz, C., Schulte, N., Forthmann, B., & Holling, H. (2022). How work engagement relates to performance and absenteeism: A meta-analysis. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 31(2), 292–315.
Öztaş, Y. E., & Arda, B. (2025). Re-evaluating creative labor in the age of artificial intelligence: a qualitative case study of creative workers’ perspectives on technological transformation in creative industries. AI & SOCIETY, 40(5), 4119–4130.
Şahin, S., & Yozgat, U. (2024). Work–family conflict and job performance: Mediating role of work engagement in healthcare employees. Journal of Management & Organization, 30(4), 931–950.
Schaufeli, W. B., Bakker, A. B., & Salanova, M. (2006). The measurement of work engagement with a short questionnaire: A cross-national study. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 66(4), 701–716.
Singla, A., Sukharevsky, A., Yee, L., Chui, M., & Hall, B. (2025). The state of AI. How Organizations are Rewiring to Capture Value. Publisher: McKinsey.
Standing, G. (2014). The precariat. Contexts, 13(4), 10–12.
Tang, C. (2026). The autonomy paradox in AI-generated content adoption: Creative-specific alternative to TAM model in China’s micro-short drama industry. Plos one, 21(1), e0336166.
Teng, R., Zhou, S., Zheng, W., & Ma, C. (2024). Artificial intelligence (AI) awareness and work withdrawal: evaluating chained mediation through negative work-related rumination and emotional exhaustion. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 36(7), 2311–2326.
Tsao, J., Liang, C. X., Nogues, C., & Wong, A. (2026). Perceptions and integration of generative artificial intelligence in creative practices and industries: a scoping review and conceptual model. AI & Society, 41(3), 2259–2278.
Vander Elst, T., De Witte, H., & De Cuyper, N. (2014). The Job Insecurity Scale: A psychometric evaluation across five European countries. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 23(3), 364-380.
Vehovar, V., Toepoel, V., & Steinmetz, S. (2016). Non-probability sampling. The SAGE handbook of survey methodology, 1, 329–345.
Wijayati, D. T., Rahman, Z., Fahrullah, A. R., Rahman, M. F. W., Arifah, I. D. C., & Kautsar, A. (2022). A study of artificial intelligence on employee performance and work engagement: the moderating role of change leadership. International Journal of Manpower, 43(2), 486–512.
World Economic Forum. 2025. Future of Jobs Report. Switzerland.
Xu, F., Qin, J., & Zhang, D. (2026). Promoting or preventing? The influence of artificial intelligence awareness on employee job crafting. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 62(1), 105-129.
Zakrzewska-Bielawska, A., Lis, A., & Ujwary-Gil, A. (2022). Use of structural equation modeling in quantitative research in the field of management and economics: A bibliometric analysis in the systematic literature review. Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Innovation, 18, 7–40.
Zang, D., & Li, M. (2025). Research on the impact of AI introduction on employee creativity: the moderating role of technology overload. Behavioral Sciences, 15(10), 1389.
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The copyright is reserved to Bulletin of Social Studies and Community Development that is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Address:
CV. IMRECS: Jalan Gagak I, Kecamatan Larangan, Kota Tangerang. Postal Code: 15155
STKIP Al Islam Tunas Bangsa: Jalan Z.A. Pagar Alam No. 41 Gedong Meneng Bandar Lampung