The WorkAI project will be represented at the EASP 2026 General Meeting with two presentations focusing on the social psychological impacts of artificial intelligence in working life.
Prof. Atte Oksanen will present work on self-efficacy, strain and professional identity under AI disruption, co-authored with Teo Keipi, Moona Heiskari and Iina Savolainen. The study examines how AI use, AI-related strain, self-efficacy and professional identity threat are connected in everyday work. The findings show that AI can be experienced both as an opportunity for learning and effectiveness and as a source of uncertainty, pressure and identity-related concerns. The results highlight that AI transformation at work is not only about tasks and skills, but also about professional identity and well-being.
Dr. Iina Savolainen will give a talk titled Can social comparison contribute to work exhaustion in the context of workplace AI use? A one-year follow-up study of Finnish workers, co-authored with Atte Oksanen, Teijo Osma, Roope Grönroos and Moona Heiskari. Based on a three-wave survey of Finnish employees, the study found that social comparison tendencies were linked with higher work exhaustion, while daily AI use itself was not. Greater AI readiness was associated with lower exhaustion, suggesting that psychological and technical adaptability can support well-being amid technological change. Read more from the published work.