Between the Spark and the System: On the Effects of AI on Ownership and Role Identity in Creative Work

Abstract

Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have enabled AI systems to take on increasingly active roles in creative work, ranging from supportive augmentation to full automation of creative output generation. This raises important questions about how such systems affect individuals’ role identity in their work. Drawing on Role Identity Theory (RIT), we propose that perceived ownership mediates the relationship between AI mode and role identity. We conducted an interaction- based online experiment (n = 400) in which participants completed a creative task supported by either an augmenting or automated AI system. The results show that augmentation (vs. automation) increases perceived ownership, which in turn enhances creative role identity. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of human-AI collaboration by highlighting the psychological mechanisms through which AI systems shape creative role identity.