ArticleBehavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland)2026
The Double-Edged Sword of AI Efficiency: Self-Efficacy Erosion as a Mediator Linking Instant Gratification and Perceived AI Efficacy to AI Dependency.
Article in Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Employee-AI Collaboration and Career Sustainability: The Role of Job Crafting and AI Job Role Clarity.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- How Employee-AI Collaboration Influences Coworkers' Helping Behaviour: An Attribution Theory Perspective.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- AI dependency and academic motivation in higher education: the mediating role of learned helplessness and the moderating role of AI literacy.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
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Abstract
Generative AI is becoming integral to daily workflows, fostering a novel form of functional cognitive AI dependency distinct from pathological addiction. While emerging research acknowledges this phenomenon, the specific psychological mechanisms underpinning its development remain underexplored. Incorporating self-efficacy erosion into the reinforcement-based framework, this study investigates whether instant gratification and perceived AI efficacy as key drivers of AI dependency. We examine the model using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with cross-sectional data collected from 576 users who have engaged with AI. The results show that both instant gratification and efficient rewards are positively associated with individuals' AI dependency. Furthermore, users' self-efficacy erosion significantly mediates the positive relation, supporting the hypothesis that greater reliance on AI is related to lower self-belief and stronger AI dependency. Moderation analyses further indicate that task-domain self-efficacy and social norms strengthen these positive associations. These findings provide empirical support for a mechanism associated with functional AI dependency and offer insights for navigating human-AI interaction while promoting balanced AI adoption.
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Registered trials
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