Artificial intelligence and art: Identifying the aesthetic judgment factors that distinguish human- and machine-generated artwork.

Abstract

Artistic creation hastraditionally been thought to be a uniquely human ability. Recent advancements in arti- fi cial intelligence (AI), however, have enabled algorithms to create art that is nearly indistinguishable from human artwork. Existing research suggests that people have a bias against AI artwork but cannot accurately identify it in blind comparisons. The current study extends this investigation to examine the aesthetic judg- ment factors differentiating human and machine art. Results indicate that people are unable to accurately identify artwork source but prefer human art and experience more positive emotions in response to human artwork. The aesthetic judgment factors differentiating human- and machine-generated art were all related to positive emotionality. This fi nding has several implications for this research area and limitation and avenues for future research are discussed.