We are pleased to announce a new publication by Mateja Vodiškar and Caroline Ruiner in AI & Society. [05.12.25]

In times of increasing human–AI collaboration, this article examines how the use of AI systems influences the perceived meaningfulness of work. The focus is on how AI support changes the significance of a task and what role mental effort plays in this process.

In an experiment with 677 participants, everyone completed a prosocially framed writing task. They were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) “human-only”, with fully independent writing, (2) “AI collaboration”, where AI-generated suggestions could be edited and expanded, and (3) “selection-based AI”, where participants chose from AI-generated text options without the possibility of editing.

The results show that AI does not have a direct effect on experienced meaningfulness. Instead, mental effort is the key mechanism through which changes occur: Higher cognitive involvement increases the perceived significance of the task. AI thus has an indirect effect by shaping employees’ cognitive engagement.

Vodiškar, M. & Ruiner, C. (2025). Collaboration between Individuals and AI: Fusing Mental Effort and AI for Work Meaningfulness. AI & Society. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-025-02772-2

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