Abstract

Generative AI is reshaping knowledge work by helping employees complete tasks faster and with less effort. However, the behavioral consequences of these efficiency gains remain underexplored. When employees perceive AI as reducing their workload, they may experience perceived slack, a subjective surplus of available time and cognitive capacity that can be redirected toward non-work AI use during work hours. This paper examines AI-enabled cyberloafing as a distinct workplace phenomenon and conceptualizes it as a multidimensional construct comprising three forms: avoidance/escape, exploration/curiosity, and social/entertainment use. Drawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response framework, we propose that perceived efficiency is associated with perceived slack, which in turn is associated with AI-enabled cyberloafing, and that organizational monitoring weakens this relationship. The study uses a scenario-based 2 × 2 vignette experiment with employed adults. Expected findings will advance understanding of AI-enabled workplace deviance and inform organizational AI governance practices.

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