Signaling Organizational Artificial Intelligence Adoption in Recruitment Materials: Role of Perceived Innovation Ability in Organizational Attractiveness

Although previous studies have examined factors influencing organizational appeal, how AI-adoption signals influence prospective applicants remains unclear. Building on signaling theory, this study explores whether, when, and how organizations’ AI-adoption signals enhance their attractiveness to potential applicants. Two experiments were conducted to test the hypothesized model. Study 1 (N = 145) employed a scenario-based design to compare organizational attractiveness between AI-adoption signal and no-signal conditions, confirming that AI-adoption signals are significantly positively associated with organizational attractiveness. Study 2 (N = 240) recruited active job seekers and validated a moderated mediation model: perceived innovation ability mediates the positive association between AI-adoption signals and organizational attractiveness, especially among job seekers with high AI self-efficacy. By conceptualizing AI adoption as an organizational signal, this research extends signaling theory to the context of technology-infused recruitment and offers practical insights for designing more effective recruitment strategies in the digital era.