# LLMs Generate Kitsch

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.25929 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.25929/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 9 of its 38 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 1 Apr 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 9 of 9)

- [Training language models to follow instructions with human feedback](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.02155/) (2022)
- [Generative Agents: Interactive Simulacra of Human Behavior](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.03442/) (2023)
- [The Curious Case of Neural Text Degeneration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1904.09751/) (2019)
- [The Ideation-Execution Gap: Execution Outcomes of LLM-Generated versus Human Research Ideas](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.20803/) (2025)
- [The Widespread Adoption of Large Language Model-Assisted Writing Across Society](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.09747/) (2025)
- [Who is using AI to code? Global diffusion and impact of generative AI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.08945/) (2025)
- [A Review of LLM-Assisted Ideation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.00946/) (2025)
- [The Even Sheen of AI: Kitsch, LLMs, and Homogeneity](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.16794/) (2025)
- [Bizarre Love Triangle: Generative AI, Art, and Kitsch](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.11353/) (2026)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Do Large Language Models Always Tell The Same Stories?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.17350/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Large Language Models (LLMs) are increasingly used to generate pictures, texts, music, videos, and other works that have traditionally required human creativity. LLM-generated artifacts are often rated better than human-generated works in controlled studies. At the same time, they can come across as generic and hollow. We propose to resolve this tension by arguing that LLMs systematically generate kitsch, and that this is a consequence of the way in which they are trained. We also show empirically that readers perceive LLM-generated stories as kitschier, if we control for their definition of "kitsch". We discuss implications for the design of future studies and for creative tasks such as research and coding.