Struggle Premium : How Human Effort and Imperfection Drive Perceived Value in the Age of AI
A study of 70 university students reveals that visible effort cues—particularly process videos and time documentation—significantly influence how audiences perceive and value creative work, with 72.9% of participants willing to pay more for human-made content. Notably, applying effort transparency to AI-generated works also improved their perceived authenticity, suggesting that process disclosure can partially bridge the authenticity gap between human and algorithmic creativity.

