We know that aesthetic experience is influenced by different factors, ranging from the formal characteristics of an artwork to cultural beliefs, from the information we have about the artwork to the context in which it is observed.

Recent evidence, from our and other research groups in neuroaesthetics, has shown the existence of a negative bias towards Artificial Intelligences (AI) that create works of art.

In fact, data show that we tend to judge an artwork that we know has been created by AI as less pleasant than one created by a human artist. 

In the context of the exhibition Eternal struggle of my desire at the Crypta Balbi - Museo Nazionale Romano (2022-2023), we asked whether the context in which the artwork is exhibited can in turn influence our judgement of an artwork created by an AI or a human artist. In particular, we compared neurophysiological, brain and physical responses, and eye movements, with the explicit evaluations of pleasantness provided by the participants in the experiment. The results of this experiment are currently being analysed.