AI Awareness and Employment Risk among College Students
Keywords:
Artificial Intelligence; AI Awareness; Employment Risk Perception; Employment Anxiety; Learning Goal Orientation; College Students; Career Uncertainty; Moderated Mediation.Abstract
In the context of rapid technological advancement, college students are increasingly concerned about the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on their future employment. This study examines the relationship between awareness of AI’s impact and college students’ perceptions of employment risk. Based on empirical data collected from 1,558 college students, a moderated mediation model was developed to investigate the underlying mechanisms of this relationship. The findings indicate that greater awareness of AI’s impact is positively associated with students’ perceptions of employment risk. Employment anxiety mediates the relationship between AI impact awareness and perceived employment risk, suggesting that increased awareness of AI may increase employment anxiety, which subsequently strengthens students’ perceptions of employment risk. Furthermore, learning goal orientation negatively moderates the relationship between employment anxiety and perceived employment risk. In particular, a stronger learning goal orientation weakens the mediating effect of employment anxiety on the relationship between AI impact awareness and perceived employment risk. These findings provide useful insights for educational institutions, policymakers, and other stakeholders in developing appropriate interventions to address students’ employment concerns related to AI and to support effective AI-related educational and workforce policies.
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