Fuel and Friction in Employees’ Digital-Intelligence Transformation: AI Assistant Skills and Ethical Anxiety under Team Ambidexterity

Digital intelligence transformation is increasingly essential for organizations seeking to remain competitive in artificial intelligence–driven environments. Despite its strategic importance, limited research has examined the employee-level factors that determine whether such transformations gain internal support. Grounded in social cognitive theory, this research proposes and validates an integrative framework that examines how employees’ personal competencies, perceptions of the team learning environment, and ethical apprehensions interact to influence their willingness to engage in digital intelligence transformation. Using three-wave survey data from 316 employees working in organizations undergoing digital intelligence transformation, the results show that employees’ confidence in their ability to perform transformation-related tasks is a key driver of supportive intention. Skills in using artificial intelligence digital assistants and team ambidexterity both enhance this confidence, which in turn strengthens employees’ willingness to support the transformation. However, ethical anxiety related to artificial intelligence weakens the positive effect of skill development on confidence and reduces the overall indirect influence on supportive intention. These findings highlight the central role of employee self-beliefs and ethical concerns in shaping successful digital intelligence transformation.