Investigating the negative bias towards artificial intelligence: Effects of prior assignment of AI-authorship on the aesthetic appreciation of abstract paintings

• Human-declared vs. AI-declared authorship of abstract paintings negatively influences aesthetic appreciation towards AI. • The use of abstract paintings attenuates the overall negative bias in the appreciation of AI-declared artworks. • Negative bias towards an AI-declared abstract artwork emerges when it is implicitly compared to a human-declared one. • Electrophysiological activity indicates that participants spontaneously compare two paintings even with no explicit request. • A priori available information about the authorship of an artwork is a key factor in aesthetic evaluation and appreciation.