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The authenticity penalty: Why AI-enhanced performance diminishes relational value in the creator economy

Aug 2026 · Electronic Markets · Vol 36 · 0 citations · 54 references

TL;DR

Using CLIP-based measures of text–image mismatch, it is found that the penalty appears directionally stronger when polished text is less congruent with the accompanying visuals; although the strictest interaction tests are power-limited, the marginal-effects pattern is consistent with multimodal dissonance.

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