Lorenzo Gravina noticed an unconscious preference for books published before 2022, finding himself discounting newer works despite regularly using LLMs for coding tasks. This psychological bias reveals how 2022 marked a turning point when AI writing tools became widely accessible, creating an invisible divide in content perception.

The preference stems from knowing that pre-2022 books involved manual typing, checking, editing, and proofreading by human hands. Each word carried deliberate effort that modern readers intuitively recognize and value. Even though LLMs produce excellent results for Gravina's daily work, the authorship process still influences judgment about content quality and worth.

This reflects a broader tension in how we evaluate LLM-enhanced content versus traditionally-created material. The author acknowledges this bias resembles past concerns about new technologies dumbing down society, recognizing the concern may be overblown. Still, the effort invested in creation matters to readers, regardless of the final output quality.

The observation highlights an emerging challenge for content creators and consumers alike: adapting evaluation criteria as AI tools become standard in writing workflows. Readers may need time to develop trust in machine-assisted content while distinguishing quality from process.