Isn't it an option to let the moderators not only approve or reject a post, but also estimate (vote?) the value in t-shirt sizes XS, S, M, L, XL?
If the bot would consider this estimation, then there would be at least a factor in the calculation that is based on the actual perception of value of a submission.
Making it human would be good in some ways, but bad in others. This leads to more possibility of manipulation.
Additionally, moderators may not make consistent decisions. Leaving the work to a bot means there's nobody to 'blame' if your post got too much/too little of a vote, because everything's objective. Nothing's subjective.
You bring some good points though!
I thought just a little bit more human, not entirely human. Just one factor that the bot considers too.
That's a good idea! We may consider it for later development.
If multiple random mods would have to estimate and if individual estimates would be public, I think that manipulation risk would be manageable. This way, outlier estimation patterns could be easily detected and punished.