Research indicates that humans perceive artistic creations produced by artificial intelligence as less impressive and creative than those produced by humans themselves. Especially those who consider creativity an exclusively human characteristic feel this way, suggesting that the derogation of this type of art serves an anthropocentric worldview.
Kobe Millet, Associate Professor Marketing at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and his colleagues Florian Buehler, Michail Kokkoris and Guanzhong Du conducted a set of studies in which participants evaluated two artworks: one created by a human and the other by AI. The researchers randomly assigned the 'AI' and 'human' labels to the artworks to determine whether there was bias against AI-generated art, regardless of its content.
They discovered that participants were less impressed with the creations labeled 'AI' because they considered them less creative than those labeled 'human'. This effect was more pronounced in individuals who view creativity as an essential part of being human and a unique characteristic that sets humans apart from other species. As recent advances of AI seem to threaten one of the last fortresses of human superiority, artistic creation, this finding may reveal people’s need to support an anthropocentric worldview.
