For their second date, Muriel took Maxine to a new exhibit at a local gallery.

Muriel caught the tea-tree scent of Maxine’s shampoo as they examined the show’s centerpiece: a set of anonymous brain scans, taken--per the artist’s note--monthly for three years.

To ease the patient’s anxiety, the technician read short stories aloud from recent issues of her favorite literary magazine.

Over time, in parallel with the rise of AI-generated writing, the scans showed decreased activity in the part of the brain related to surprise and connection, while skepticism and distrust increased.

“Fascinating,” Maxine said, brushing Muriel’s elbow; an electric tingling flushed Muriel’s skin.

“What happened there, I wonder?” Muriel pointed to the most recent scans. Here, the trend reversed: connection increased, and skepticism fell.

Maxine squinted at the label. “The technician stopped reading stories and started telling the patient about her day.”

From behind them, a man scoffed. “These images look AI-generated to me.”

“Case in point,” Maxine murmured, and gave Muriel a secret look.

“Stroll along the river?” Muriel asked.

“Please,” Maxine replied.