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This paper identified that perceptions around intelligence and humanness can impact the knowledge sharing with generative artificial intelligence.
This paper looked at some of the complexities and nuances involved when it comes to generative artificial intelligence and knowledge sharing.
This paper identified how organizations can improve knowledge sharing by working on perceived intelligence and perceived humanness of generative artificial intelligence.
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Artificial intelligence (AI) is more than just an information processing tool. The development of advancements such as generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) has provided an additional use by offering the ability to create new content in various forms. This offers a more flexible way that AI can be implemented in environments. As many organizations begin to integrate more AI tools and features into their business operations, it is clear that ensuring the right implementation of these can affect the strategic results of the organization. There are a number of ways that businesses can incorporate AI within their functions and processes, and identifying the right avenue is a crucial step toward achieving a competitive advantage. In today’s environment it is not enough to just provide a unique offering. Many businesses can struggle to keep up with the technological changes happening, but staying ahead of the curve requires investment in these technologies. Regardless of personal preferences or feeling, the role that AI has within the market is shaping the way many businesses operate. It has produced transformative results that cannot be ignored. While the initial uses of AI just focused on information retrieval, the move to content creation is a natural progression in how technology can be leveraged. However, individuals may not always see this as the case. There are opposing views in how AI in general and even Gen AI is perceived in terms of its use and integration into the business ecosystem. It can be useful to understand these perceptions a bit more so that these tools can be used efficiently. Chen et al. (2025) investigated how the perception of Gen AI can impact knowledge sharing intentions within individuals.
More than meets the eye
The initial uses of AI as an information gathering tool is a common application that many are aware of, and many often limit AI to this. Making the transition to content creation can face resistance when individuals are not fully aware of the capabilities and implications for such a move. Within the knowledge management context, AI was a welcome addition due to the processing power when it comes to knowledge or information acquisition. Turning this knowledge into valuable outputs was seen as a human intelligence area. However, Gen AI has proved that this can also be an outcome that technology can produce. Within knowledge management, the most critical step is knowledge sharing. If organizations and individuals are not sharing then it can be difficult for any decisions to be made or steps to be taken as the information would be incomplete. Likewise for AI that relies on knowledge, the input it is provided can directly impact the output. This means that knowledge sharing should be encouraged. However, there are also factors that may hinder this. Individuals many have personal concerns with knowledge sharing, as well as having the right environment to promote knowledge sharing. Gen AI can also influence how or whether individuals engage in knowledge sharing. How individuals view these tools impacts their use and can therefore impact their effectiveness.
Seeing is believing
Perception is everything; it can shape opinions, and it can also solidify assumptions about things. How Gen AI is perceived can impact specifically the willingness of employees to share knowledge. Perceived intelligence and perceived humanness are two areas that can make a difference. Even though AI is considered to be an intelligent tool, there can be concerns on the accuracy of information and the overall intelligence of the system since it is highly dependent on the information it is fed. It is not an all-knowing tool, and therefore it can be difficult to fully trust the outcomes it provides. If the capability of these tools is questioned then it is unlikely that employees will want to engage with them. This is similar to the dynamic between an employee that is viewed as incapable and a micro-managing leader. If the outcomes cannot be trusted, it defeats the purpose of using these resources. It will only lead to greater inefficiencies such as time, and even financial resources. In relation to perceived humanness, the way Gen AI interacts and its ability to emulate human emotions and nuances can make individuals feel more likely to share. The familiarity and comfort this offers can promote an environment when trust is built and Gen AI is used less as a tool and more as an extension of the learning and knowledge management experience. This is the desired outcome, where Gen AI is viewed as both capable and comfortable.
Organizations are fighting an uphill battle, as many individuals begin with a skeptical outlook when it comes to the adoption of Gen AI within various contexts. Reversing these perceptions is difficult but not impossible. It will take the combined effort of stakeholders as well as investing in the tools to offer the confidence needed to improve the outlook. It is not just leaders that can make this change; individual employees must also be willing to adapt their initial opinions or judgments. This is easier said than done. However, there is no doubt that Gen AI can offer substantial results when integrated into business operations. Whether organizations can leverage these capabilities is another story.
Comment
This review is based on “Enhancing knowledge sharing in generative AI integration: the impact of AI self-efficacy and skill threat perceptions” by Qian Qian Chen, Li Min Lin and Meilian Liu, published in Journal of Knowledge Management.
