Perceived Craftsmanship Spirit and AI Technology Adoption Behavior Among University Faculty Members: A Moderated Mediation Model

University faculty members’ adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is important to the digital transformation of higher education, yet the motivational mechanisms associated with such behavior remain insufficiently understood. Drawing on self-determination theory (SDT), and the job demands–resources (JD–R) model, this study used a sample of 374 university faculty members to examine, through a moderated mediation model, the mechanism underlying the relationship between perceived craftsmanship spirit and AI technology adoption behavior. The results showed that perceived craftsmanship spirit significantly and positively predicted AI technology adoption behavior and that work engagement mediated this relationship. Challenge stressors negatively moderated the relationship between perceived craftsmanship spirit and work engagement and weakened the mediating effect of work engagement. These findings reveal the underlying pathway through which perceived craftsmanship spirit promotes AI technology adoption behavior and provide theoretical and practical implications for advancing the digital development and transformation of higher education.