Doing Business in China: Why Employees Still Resist AI at Work
AI now shapes daily decisions across many companies, and managers often assume employees will embrace it once they see the benefits. That assumption falls apart in practice. Algorithm aversion, a natural distrust of computer-driven decisions, keeps workers reverting to manual habits even when a tool works well. Research from CUHK Business School 's Professor Cao Xinyu asks a sharper question: could requiring employees to use AI temporarily build lasting adoption? For companies doing business in China , this behavioural gap matters as much as the technology itself. Why AI adoption is harder than implementation Introducing an AI system and making workers depend on that system are two different things. Algorithm aversion is the situation where people do not trust algorithms because they perform as well as humans. Common reasons include: Fear of errors and who takes the blame Concern that AI diminishes their expertise Preference for familiar, manual processes A belief that AI suits onl...