Understanding Employee Intentions to Adopt AI Technologies in the High-Tech Industry

Amid Vietnam’s rapid digital transformation and national emphasis on AI under its National Strategy on AI (2021–2030), this study explores the factors influencing employees’ adoption of AI technologies in Vietnam’s emerging high-tech industry. Applying the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behavior (DTPB) as the theoretical framework, this research investigates how contextual, motivational, and organizational factors shape AI adoption behavior in a fast-growing Southeast Asian economy. Leveraging data from 308 valid responses, the study evaluates the impact of self-efficacy, resource- and technical-facilitating conditions, expected external rewards, expected reciprocity, self-worth awareness, and organizational climate on employees’ attitudes, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and subjective norms toward AI adoption. Using SEM, the results demonstrate that attitude, subjective norms, and PBC significantly influence employees’ intentions to adopt AI technologies, with subjective norms emerging as the most influential driver in this context. The findings highlight the importance of Vietnam’s organizational climate and government-led innovation policies in fostering AI adoption within high-pressure, innovation-driven environments such as the high-tech sector. This study contributes to the AI adoption literature by extending the DTPB and providing context-specific theoretical and managerial insights for emerging markets, offering practical recommendations for organizations to enhance AI adoption through targeted incentives, supportive climates, and robust infrastructure investments.