AI-Related Technostress and Employee Adoption Intention: The Mediating Role of Emotions in Hospitality

Drawing on the Challenge–Hindrance Stress Framework and Affective Events Theory, this study examines how challenge technology stressors (CTS) and hindrance technology stressors (HTS) influence hotel employees’ emotions and AI adoption intention, and how perceived Organizational Digital Leadership (ODL) and Organizational Innovative Climate (OIC) moderate these relationships. Data from 652 hotel employees in five Iranian cities were analyzed using PLS-SEM. CTS positively predicted positive emotions toward AI, while HTS positively predicted negative emotions. Both positive and, unexpectedly, negative emotions were positively associated with AI adoption intention, producing significant positive indirect effects. OIC strengthened the CTS–positive emotion relationship and weakened the HTS–negative emotion relationship, whereas ODL showed the opposite pattern. Findings highlight employee AI adoption as an affective, context-dependent process shaped by differentiated technostress and organizational conditions.