According to a study by Deakin University, the slogan ‘Made by humans’ reinforces this effect

More and more companies are labelling the products they want to sell as ‘made by humans’ to take a stand against artificial intelligence (AI). Heineken, Polaroid and Cadbury are among them. Pluribus, a US post-apocalyptic science fiction television series developed for Apple TV+, also includes the phrase ‘Made by Humans’ in its credits.

AI brand ambassadors criticised

Conversely, companies such as fashion chains H&M and Guess have experienced negative reactions from customers for using AI brand ambassadors. ‘All of this suggests that we have reached a point where people are beginning to develop resentment towards AI, which is producing more and more of what we see and hear,’ writes business economist Paul Harrison of Deakin University (https://www.deakin.edu.au).

‘On the surface, AI offers efficiency benefits such as faster production, lower-cost visualisations, instant personalisation and automated decisions,’ Harrison continues. ‘Governments and businesses have jumped on board, attracted by the prospect of greater productivity. In advertising, AI seems to lead to smaller marketing budgets, better targeting, automated decisions and faster campaign implementation.’

It’s not just about efficiency

According to Harrison, advertising is never just about efficiency. It relies on a certain degree of emotional truth and creative mystery. This psychological anchor – the belief that there are human intentions behind what people see – is important. People often value objects more when they believe they are created by humans. This is the case even when these images are indistinguishable from a generated image.

When two identical paintings were labelled either ‘made by humans’ or ‘made by AI’, viewers consistently rated the works they believed to be ‘made by humans’ as more beautiful, meaningful and profound. Harrison: ‘It seems that the AI label alone diminishes the value of an object. Creative work has never been just about generating content.’

It is a way for people to express emotions, experiences, memories, differences and interpretations. Perhaps that is why the rise of ‘Made by Humans’ actually has meaning. Marketers were not simply selling provenance, but responding to a deeper cultural uncertainty about authorship at a time when the boundaries of creativity are becoming increasingly difficult to discern.