Mediating Role of AI-Human Collaboration in the Relationship Between Artificial Intelligence Adoption and Employee Performance

Abstract

This study examines the effect of Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption on employee performance in selected Federal Teaching Hospitals and Federal Medical Centres in Nigeria, with a focus on the mediating role of AI-Human Collaboration. A cross-sectional research design was adopted. The population comprised clinical and non-clinical healthcare workers in selected public healthcare institutions in Nigeria. Using a multistage sampling technique 520 questionnaires were distributed, of which 371 valid responses were analyzed. SmartPLS 4 was employed for data analysis. Findings reveal that AI adoption significantly enhances both AI-human collaboration and employee performance. AI-human collaboration also has a significant positive effect on employee performance and significantly mediates the relationship between AI adoption and employee performance. The study concludes that AI adoption improves employee performance both directly and indirectly through enhanced collaboration between employees and AI systems. It recommends that healthcare institutions should strengthen AI-human collaboration through continuous training and integration of AI technologies to maximize performance outcomes. These measures are essential for improving workforce efficiency and achieving sustainable performance in Nigeria’s healthcare sector.