Beyond Tools: Examining Parasocial Relationships With Ai Assistants And Their Workplace Consequences

This study examines the emerging phenomenon of generative AI (GAI) as a personal assistant in the workplace and its effects on employees’ psychological states and behavioral outcomes. By viewing GAI as more than a tool, the study conceptualizes it as a work partner and incorporates parasocial relationship (PSR) and psychological empowerment as internal states within the S-O-R framework to evaluate its influence on work outcomes. The study further investigates anthropomorphism, personalization, and adaptability as key stimuli associated with GAI. Data were collected through an online survey. The findings show that GAI’s human-like attributes, emotional and functional personalization, and adaptability positively shape employees’ PSR and psychological empowerment, which subsequently enhance organizational commitment and thriving at work. This study advances Information Systems research on GAI by showing how it reshapes employee experiences in more relational and cognitively embedded ways, moving beyond prior work that focused primarily on functional capabilities and task efficiency.