AI adoption, psychological safety and depression among employees

At a glance

Source

Kim, Kim and Lee (2025). The dark side of artificial intelligence adoption: linking artificial intelligence adoption to employee depression via psychological safety and ethical leadership. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1). doi:10.1057/s41599-025-05040-2

How it was done

An online survey in three rounds, spaced apart in time. The researchers used a statistical model to test how the answers were linked. Repeated survey. The same people answered questions at several points in time.

Who took part

381 employees of companies.

Where

South Korea.

“AI adoption has a significant negative impact on psychological safety, which in turn increases levels of depression.”

What it found

Psychological safety means people feel able to speak up, ask questions and admit mistakes without being punished for it.

• More AI adoption at the company went with lower psychological safety among employees.
• Lower psychological safety went with more symptoms of depression.
• Where employees rated their leaders as ethical, meaning fair, honest and open about decisions, AI adoption did less damage to psychological safety.

When the result holds

The study measured how employees see their company’s AI adoption and how they feel. It followed the same people over three rounds, which gives a better sense of order than a single survey.

Limits

• All measures are employees’ own answers.
• The same research team ran this study and a closely related one. Independent teams have not yet repeated it.

Practices that use this study

This study supports:

• Protect psychological safety during an AI rollout AI projects can make staff afraid to speak up and unwilling to share what they know. Say early what AI means for jobs, and consult the people affected. Do first · Effort: medium (weeks, a few people) Evidence: Moderate Contested People and skills · Adopt

Assessments linked to this study

• Where do people feel unsafe to speak up: in the organization, the team or one-to-one? Perception of Psychological Safety scale (PPS) Each employee · 14 questions Free to use and adapt Testing: Moderate Culture and speaking-up surveys
• How safe does each employee feel at work? Psychological Safety Inventory (PSI) Each employee · 30 questions Ask the authors Testing: Moderate Culture and speaking-up surveys
• Do people in this team speak up, or stay silent? Composite measure of psychological safety (observation and survey) A trained observer and the team’s members · One observed team meeting, plus a 19-question survey Free to use and adapt Testing: Emerging Culture and speaking-up surveys