ARTICLE
Volume 10,Issue 7
11 August 2026
Beyond Direct AI Assistance: The Mediating Role of AI Crafting in Converting Employee–AI Collaboration into Incremental and Radical Creativity
Xiaolin Zhou ,
Dexin Zhao
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1
School of Business and Tourism, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611830, China,
2
School of Business and Tourism, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611830, China,
JERA 2026 , 10(7), 51–55;
https://doi.org/10.26689/jera.v10i7.15831
© 2026 by the Authors. Licensee Whioce Publishing, Singapore. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract
Artificial intelligence is becoming a routine partner in enterprise work, but its creative value depends on how employees reconfigure their work around AI. Using 138 valid survey responses from Chinese employees with AI-use experience, this study examines whether employee-AI collaboration promotes incremental and radical creativity through AI crafting. Results show that employee-AI collaboration significantly predicts AI crafting and both creativity outcomes. AI crafting further mediates these relationships. The findings highlight AI crafting as a behavioral mechanism linking human-AI collaboration with dual creativity.
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