Employee–AI Collaboration and Career Sustainability: The Role of Job Crafting and AI Job Role Clarity

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the global labor market and creating both challenges and opportunities for employees. This study conceptualizes AI as a collaborative partner in the workplace and examines how employee–AI collaboration relates to career sustainability. Drawing on conservation of resources theory and self-determination theory, the study proposes that job crafting mediates this relationship and that AI job role clarity strengthens the positive effect of employee–AI collaboration on job crafting. Three-wave survey data were collected from 398 employees who were required to use AI as part of regular work. The results showed that employee–AI collaboration was significantly associated with career sustainability, that job crafting mediated the relationship between employee–AI collaboration and career sustainability, and that AI job role clarity positively moderated the effect of employee–AI collaboration on job crafting. These findings extend research on AI adoption and job crafting by showing that employee–AI collaboration constitutes an interdependent work arrangement whose long-term career value depends on employees’ proactive work redesign and clear human–AI role boundaries. The findings further suggest that organizations can support employees’ proactive adaptation and career development by clarifying human–AI role boundaries, providing opportunities for skill development, and creating conditions that enable employees to redesign their work effectively.