How AI Assistant Intelligence and AI Literacy Shape Technostress and Resistance: An Experimental Study

Abstract

This study investigates how the intelligence of AI assistants and users’ AI literacy interact to influence resistance behavioral intention through technostress (i.e., eustress and distress). Using a 2×2 experimental design, we examine both eustress and distress as dual emotional pathways. The results show that emotional responses vary depending on users’ AI literacy, even under identical stimuli. These findings provide empirical support for the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model and offer practical insights for designing user-centered AI deployment strategies in organizational environments.