Of love & lasers: Perceptions of narratives by AI versus human authors

Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs can produce narratives. However, readers’ preconceptions about AI may influence their response to these narratives, and furthermore, AI-generated writing may differ from human writing. Genre may also be relevant for readers’ attitudes regarding AI. This study tests the effects of actual AI versus human authorship, stated (labeled) authorship, and genre on perceptions of narratives and narrative engagement. Participants were randomly assigned within a 2 (actual author: human or AI) X 2 (stated author: human or AI) X 2 (genre: romance or science fiction) design, across two studies. In Study 1, actual AI narratives were perceived as more enjoyable, but human narratives were more appreciated. Furthermore, participants enjoyed actual AI-written sci-fi more than human-written sci-fi. Study 2 found that actual AI stories were rated more highly, particularly in appreciation, transportation, character identification, and future engagement. However, stated human authorship led to higher ratings for romance, but not for sci-fi. An interaction was observed such that for the sci-fi condition, stated human writing was perceived as more likely to be actually AI-written. Future research could expand upon these findings across more genres, as well as examining the determinants of preferences for stated human content. • AI-generated stories evoke equivalent or greater immersion than human-authored ones • Individuals prefer romance stories that they were told were written by a human • Responses were affected more by actual AI/human authorship than stated authorship