JERAJournal of Electronic Research and Application2208-35022208-3510Bio-Byword Scientific Publishing Pty. Ltd.10.26689/jera.v10i7.15831ArticleBeyond Direct AI Assistance: The Mediating Role of AI Crafting in Converting Employee–AI Collaboration into Incremental and Radical Creativityhttps://artdesignp.com/journal/JERA/10/7/10.26689/jera.v10i7.15831ZhouXiaolin,ZhaoDexin20261072026-08-11Artificial intelligence is becoming a routine partner in enterprise work, but its creative value depends on how employees reconfigure their work around AI. Using 138 valid survey responses from Chinese employees with AI-use experience, this study examines whether employee-AI collaboration promotes incremental and radical creativity through AI crafting. Results show that employee-AI collaboration significantly predicts AI crafting and both creativity outcomes. AI crafting further mediates these relationships. The findings highlight AI crafting as a behavioral mechanism linking human-AI collaboration with dual creativity.

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