What's Behind the Magic? Audiences Seek Artistic Value in Generative AI's Contributions to a Live Dance Performance
This addresses the problem of stakeholder disagreement over AI-generated art's value, though it is incremental in exploring social context effects.
The study investigated how audiences perceive the artistic value of generative AI in a live dance performance, finding that participants were more likely to attribute artistic merit to AI-augmented works when unaware of its use.
With the development of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools to create art, stakeholders cannot come to an agreement on the value of these works. In this study we uncovered the mixed opinions surrounding art made by AI. We developed two versions of a dance performance augmented by technology either with or without GenAI. For each version we informed audiences of the performance's development either before or after a survey on their perceptions of the performance. There were thirty-nine participants (13 males, 26 female) divided between the four performances. Results demonstrated that individuals were more inclined to attribute artistic merit to works made by GenAI when they were unaware of its use. We present this case study as a call to address the importance of utilizing the social context and the users' interpretations of GenAI in shaping a technical explanation, leading to a greater discussion that can bridge gaps in understanding.