AI-authorship effect
noun phrase
The drop in trust, and sometimes moral disgust, that can occur when people discover that something was made or believed to have been made by AI.
The AI-authorship effect is what happens when people discover a product or message was made, or is believed to have been made, by AI. The reaction is often not a simple judgement that the work is poor. It can feel moral: a sense of being deceived, substituted for, asked to accept a relationship in which nobody was present on the other side. The break is about authorship as much as quality, which is why ‘made by people’ may become a premium label rather than a sentimental one. Human authorship guarantees nothing about the work. It does tell the recipient that somebody chose this particular thing, and can be asked what they thought they were doing.
See also Trust economy Provenance Content Credentials AI slop