Digital Empathy and AI: Can Machines Support Employee Well- Being in the Workplace?
Author(s):
Evangelia Fragouli
As artificial intelligence (AI) systems are increasingly integrated into human resource management, a critical question arises: Can machines facilitate genuine support for employee well-being? This study investigates the emergent concept of digital empathy-the simulation or enhancement of empathic processes through AI-and examines its application in supporting employee mental health, workload management, and emotional recognition in organisational settings. Drawing on a mixed-method case study approach, the research integrates qualitative interviews with HR and well-being officers (n=15) and a content analysis of digital wellness tools deployed in two multinational companies. It also includes survey data from 125 employees using AI-based well-being platforms. The findings reveal that while AI tools can contribute to early detection of stress signals, provide personalised nudges, and simulate empathic interactions through chatbots and sentiment analysis, their effectiveness is heavily mediated by design, data ethics, and human oversight. Importantly, employees expressed ambivalence-many welcomed support nudges, but distrusted surveillance-like features. The study concludes that AI can support well-being only when designed with transparency, consent, and hybrid human-AI collaboration. Recommendations include involving employees in co-design of digital wellness tools and ensuring that AI complements-not replaces-human empathy. This study contributes to the growing field of AI and emotional intelligence in the workplace, challenging simplistic assumptions about machine capabilities and offering a framework for ethical, human-centred AI use in employee care.
