Assessing employees' readiness for AI: the case of ChatGPT in the Dubai Government

Purpose As generative AI tools like ChatGPT are increasingly explored for integration into public sector workflows, employee readiness emerges as a critical determinant of successful implementation. This study examines the psychological, organizational and social factors that influence public employees' readiness to adopt ChatGPT within the Dubai Government entities. Drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), the study tests how perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, organizational readiness, technological readiness and social influence predict four dimensions of employee technology readiness: optimism, innovativeness, discomfort and insecurity. Design/methodology/approach Based on a cross-sectional survey of 651 public employees in Dubai, the multiple regression analyses method was used. Findings The findings reveal that perceived usefulness and ease of use are positively associated with optimism and negatively associated with insecurity and discomfort. Surprisingly, organizational and technological readiness do not uniformly enhance positive attitudes; in some cases, they actually increase feelings of unease. Social influence emerged as a double-edged factor, simultaneously promoting optimism and innovativeness while also elevating insecurity and discomfort. Originality/value These findings underscore the relationship between institutional support and individual readiness in public AI adoption, offering practical recommendations for policymakers, human resource leaders and AI implementers seeking to cultivate a future-ready workforce.