The Impact of Authorship on Aesthetic Appreciation: A Study Comparing Human and AI-Generated Artworks

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of human and AI authorship on aesthetic appreciation. The application of AI in artistic creation is discussed in terms of its use in the fields of visuals, music, and literature. An empirical study was conducted to implicitly compare AI-declared abstract artworks with human-declared artworks, using electrophysiological activity to monitor whether participants spontaneously compare the two works. Results show that a priori available information about the authorship of artworks is a key factor in aesthetic evaluation and appreciation. The neural and cognitive processes of aesthetic appreciation are explored in terms of how the human brain processes and evaluates works of art, and how creatorship influences these processes. The ethical considerations involved in using AI to create works of art are also discussed, including intellectual property rights, privacy, and social implications.