The Impact of Technological Anxiety on Perceived Fairness in AI Interviews: The Mediating Role of Trust

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-774-3_15How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Technological Anxiety; AI Interview; Mediating Effect; Trust

Abstract

With the widespread application of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in the recruitment sector, AI interviews have emerged as a crucial tool for organizations to screen job candidates. However, there are significant individual differences in candidates’ acceptance of AI interviews; notably, a subset of candidates exhibits a distinct aversion to them. This phenomenon deviates markedly from prior theoretical predictions, thereby attracting the attention of researchers. Drawing upon the Technology Acceptance Model and Equity Theory, this study investigates the mechanisms through which technology anxiety influences the perception of fairness in AI interviews, with a particular focus on examining the mediating role of trust. Based on a questionnaire survey administered to 298 job candidates who had participated in AI interviews, the results indicate the following: technology anxiety negatively impacts the perception of fairness; technology anxiety negatively impacts trust; trust positively impacts the perception of fairness; and trust serves as a partial mediator in the relationship between technology anxiety and the perception of fairness. The findings reveal that technology anxiety not only directly diminishes the perception of fairness but also exerts an indirect negative influence by eroding candidates’ trust in AI. By introducing an individual-differences perspective into the study of AI interviews, this research offers valuable insights for organizations seeking to optimize their AI-based recruitment practices and assist candidates in adapting to the AI interview process.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Sen Hu
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/11
TI  - The Impact of Technological Anxiety on Perceived Fairness in AI Interviews: The Mediating Role of Trust
BT  - Proceedings of the 2026 5th International Conference on Mathematical Statistics and Economic Analysis (MSEA 2026
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 161
EP  - 170
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-774-3_15
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-774-3_15
ID  - Hu2026
ER  -