Art of Confusion: Humans Prefer ‘Real’ Art to AI Art, But Struggle to Tell the Difference

In the increasingly blurred realm of artificial intelligence and human creativity, AI tools such as DALL-E, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion are producing visually convincing artworks that challenge human perception. Despite this, a study by Bowling Green State University suggests that people exhibit a preference for human-created art, even though they struggle to identify its source accurately when presented with a mix of AI and human visual art. The research reveals that human art triggers more intense emotions in viewers, including nostalgia, attraction, and amusement, leading to biased favoritism towards human creativity over AI-generated art. These findings raise questions about the future of AI-generated art and its recognition in the artistic domain, as debates around what constitutes human enough art persist amidst instances of AI-generated artwork winning prestigious prizes and gaining recognition from major art institutions.