The impact of artificial intelligence on human emotions: A systematic review from an organizational perspective

Artificial intelligence (AI) has garnered considerable attention for its potential to improve organizational operations and streamline workflows. Beyond being just a mere tool, AI is now increasingly framed as an agent capable of providing social and emotional support in the workplace. However, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of the impacts of AI on human emotions in management and organizational research. Although emerging studies have begun to examine the emotional aspects of AI in the workplace, their insights remain fragmented and theoretically nascent. In particular, there is a pronounced gap in holistic research that addressing processes and mechanisms through which AI influences human emotions in organizations. To address this gap, we conduct a systematic review of 75 articles published between 2020 and 2025 at the intersection of AI and human emotions in organizational and managerial settings. We develop the “Input-Process-Output” (IPO) framework to synthesize existing perspectives, outline AI's emotional benefits and challenges, and clarify how psychological need satisfaction and frustration serve as dual pathways linking AI affordances to discrete emotional and behavioral outcomes. Critically, these pathways are moderated by contextual evaluations of benefit versus challenge. This review represents a systematic effort to comprehensively examine the interplay between AI and human emotions in organizational management. Our findings advance theoretical understanding of the emotional impacts of AI and offer insightful practical guidance for organizational and human resource management practices.