EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AS A HUMAN-CENTRED CAPABILITY IN AI-DRIVEN ORGANIZATIONS: EFFECTS ON LEADERSHIP EFFECTIVENESS, EMPLOYEE TRUST, AND HUMAN-AI INTERACTION

Abstract

The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming organisational leadership, employee decision-making, and workplace interactions [1], creating a growing need to understand the human capabilities that support effective AI integration. This study examines the role of emotional intelligence (EI) in AI-driven organisations and investigates its relationships with leadership effectiveness, employee trust, and human-AI interaction. The study aims to develop an integrated empirical framework explaining how EI contributes to effective leadership and positive employee–AI collaboration and interaction. A quantitative research design was employed using a structured five-point Likert-scale questionnaire. The dataset comprises 300 respondents from AI-enabled organisational environments, and The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The structural model was evaluated using bootstrapping with 5,000 resamples to assess path significance and the proposed mediating role of Employee Trust.. The results indicate positive relationships between emotional intelligence and leadership effectiveness (r = 0.382), employee trust (r = 0.339), and human-AI interaction (r = 0.314). Employee trust also demonstrates positive associations with leadership effectiveness and human-AI interaction. These findings suggest that emotionally intelligent leaders EI was positively associated with employee confidence and effective human-AI collaboration by integrating emotional intelligence, organisational trust, leadership effectiveness, and human-AI interaction within a unified framework. The findings provide practical implications for leadership development, AI implementation, employee engagement, and trust-oriented