In a new study published in the journal Cognition and Emotion, a team of scientists from Italy and Finland wanted to observe how we react to AI images designed to sexually arouse—hypothesizing that humans would be less turned on when they believe an image was an avatar. Over two trials, researchers confirmed their hunch that “perception of authenticity” plays an important role in sexual arousal for heterosexual men and women who participated in the study. Although men had an easier time getting turned on by the phony photos than women.
“Our findings support the view that photos believed to be artificially generated are less arousing than those considered real, but we found that allegedly fake images are still capable of generating arousal, especially in men, just in an inferior amount,” the study’s authors said. They added that while “AI-generated images are here to stay,” their findings suggest that they are not going to replace the “real” world, “since the mere belief that an image is AI-generated (even when it is not) is enough to reduce arousal.” Future research would include a broader range of sexual stimuli and explicit content, and whether “same-sex-oriented participants are equally discerning of authenticity.”
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