Explaining Consumer Preferences for AI- and Human-Authored Books: An Explanatory Experimental Study

Abstract

Books—both fiction and nonfiction—are among the first consumer goods that artificial intelligence (AI) can fully generate at a quality indistinguishable from that created by humans. While prior research in domains such as art and music documents a preference bias against AI-created works, the transferability of these findings to typical consumption contexts—and whether such biases persist amid rapid AI diffusion—remains unclear. This study examines the effect of authorship disclosure on consumer preferences for AI- versus human-authored books, while also exploring psychological and economic mechanisms that may explain these differences. It further investigates heterogeneity of this effect by factors such as familiarity with AI to anticipate future states of AI adoption. For empirical evaluation of the effects, we conducted an online experiment that systematically manipulated authorship of books from multiple literary genres, using a representative sample of approximately 1,500 U.S. adults. Results showed a consistent preference bias against AI-generated books across genres. Among the potential explanatory mechanisms, perceived author effort, emotional attachment, and perceived proximity to the author emerged as the most influential. Heterogeneity analysis among early adopters and AI welcomers revealed that these effects are weakened but remained persistent. The findings indicate that consumers’ reluctance towards AI-created books arises not only from assessments of product utility but also from psychological factors. Although technological advances may alleviate consumer quality concerns, persistent social and emotional attachments are likely to result in separate market segments for AI- versus human-created works.