How the perceived substitution of AI technology hinders nurses' innovation behavior: the mediating role of AI anxiety and human-AI cooperation intention and the moderating role of organizational AI readiness.

Given the advantages of AI technology in areas such as data collection, data processing, decision optimization, and efficiency enhancement, numerous healthcare institutions are actively embracing AI to propel their development toward intelligence. However, while AI technology reduces costs and enhances efficiency within healthcare institutions, it also poses a potential risk of occupational substitution for nurses, which may subsequently inhibit nurses' innovative behavior. This study, using Mplus8.0, analyzed 394 survey responses and found the following: (1) The perceived substitution of AI technology is significantly negatively correlated with nurses' innovation behavior (β = - 0.16, p < .001); (2) AI anxiety acts as a mediator between the perceived substitution of AI technology and nurses' innovation behavior (β = - 0.08, p < .01); (3) Human-AI cooperation intention also acts as a mediator between the perceived substitution of AI technology and nurses' innovation behavior (β = - 0.09, p < .001); (4) AI anxiety and human-AI cooperation intention together function as a chain mediator between the perceived substitution of AI technology and nurses' innovation behavior (β = - 0.05, p < .05); (5) Organizational AI readiness moderates the relationship between the perceived substitution of AI technology and nurses' innovation behavior (β = 0.05, p < .05). These findings not only enrich the theories related to human resource management but also offer valuable insights for alleviating nurses' AI anxiety, stimulating their intention for human - AI cooperation, and enhancing the AI readiness of healthcare institutions. Consequently, they can arouse nurses' enthusiasm for innovation and improve the efficiency of human resource utilization in healthcare institutions.