People consistently devalue creative writing generated by artificial intelligence
People consistently devalue creative writing generated by artificial intelligence
Publish Date: 2026-04-05 18:15:00
Source Domain: www.psypost.org
- A study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General reveals persistent bias against creative writing perceived to be AI-generated.
- Researchers used generative AI tools like ChatGPT to create poems and stories, examining how disclosure of an AI’s involvement affects human judgment.
- Across multiple experiments with over 27,000 participants, those who knew specific works were AI-generated consistently rated them lower on quality, creativity, and enjoyment, regardless of content type.
- Efforts to mitigate the bias—such as showcasing the AI’s capabilities and humanizing the technology—did not reduce its impact.
- The negative reaction to AI-generated writing did not create mixed feelings; it resulted in a straightforward decrease in appreciation compared to human-generated texts.
- The strongest predictor for lower ratings was perceived authenticity, underscoring a deep-seated belief in the value of human creativity.
- The study confirms a strong, persistent bias against AI writing but does not comment on the quality of AI-generated content.
- Potential limitations include the tech-savvy nature of study participants and the possibility of differing opinions in visual arts, music, or other media, as well as future shifts in societal attitudes towards AI as the technology becomes more commonplace.
