AI Awareness and Psychological Withdrawal in Hotels: The Mediating Role of Ego Depletion and the Moderating Role of Ambiguity Tolerance

Grounded in Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study examines the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) awareness on hotel employees’ psychological withdrawal behavior, highlighting the mediating mechanism of ego depletion and the moerating role of ambiguity tolerance. Data were collected from 410 full-time employees working in five-star hotels in Egypt and analyzed using PLS-SEM. The findings reveal that AI awareness significantly increases employees’ psychological withdrawal and ego  depletion. Results further indicate that ego depletion positively predicts psychological withdrawal and mediates the relationship between AI awareness and withdrawal behavior. Moreover, ambiguity tolerance moderates the relationship between AI awareness and ego depletion, suggesting that employees with higher tolerance for ambiguity experience lower resource depletion in response to AI-related changes. This study contributes to the literature by integrating resource-based theory with emerging digital transformation research in hospitality, providing empirical evidence on the psychological consequences of AI awareness and identifying a protective personal resource that mitigates its adverse effects.