Abstract
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed the nature and texture of work. However, the fear of being replaced by AI is an important factor negatively influencing employees’ acceptance of technologies in the workplace. Indeed, the adoption of AI requires employees to upskill and to engage in increasingly complex tasks, which could further exacerbate their fear of being replaced. Nevertheless, individuals’ beliefs about their skills and abilities (i.e., mindset) is an important antecedent of employees’ perceived ability of improving their skillset, ultimately affecting their engagement in automation initiatives undertaken within the organisation. The objective of this work is to explore whether employees’ mindset (growth vs. fixed) influences their fear of being replaced by and in turn their acceptance of AI in the workplace. Specifically, we argue that people with a growth (vs. fixed) mindset are more likely to accept AI initiatives. We propose that this effect is driven by reduced fear of replacement.