[digging]

> AI isn't going to stop me from sitting down at the piano or writing a short story. There will always be people in the world better at those things than me, so what difference does it make if an AI may or may not be better at them too?

The threat is that it will no longer be viable to make money from creative works. A completely trivial and laughable concern if you don't live in a society that believes you have to "earn a living".

[v64]

> The threat is that it will no longer be viable to make money from creative works.

Although I see a comparison to previous technologies replacing human jobs, I'm willing to put that point aside and focus solely on AI.

Will AI generated content be cheaper? Will AI content be more interesting and engaging than anything a human could create? If there is no economic demand for human generated artwork, then should it still be viable to make money from it? Is there reason to believe the people who remain in the art market won't be able to make more money by occupying niches that AI art doesn't serve, or by selling to "hipsters" or "luddites" who are anti-AI art? It used to be the only way to make real money through art was having a patron. Perhaps there will be wealthy people who will still be willing to patronize human artists.

Historically, we are in a special place in history where average people can make a living through creative work, but it's not at all an easy industry to break into, even today, and it has always been competitive and everchanging, just as art itself. Economics aside, people have always produced art for intrinsic purposes, and they will continue to do so even when the profit motive is gone.

[digging]

I don't disagree with any of that. The GP said they didn't understand why people would be afraid of AI art. The reason is that many people pay rent by producing art, and that will no longer be possible for many of them in an age of (good) AI art

[ChatGTP]

I hate to break it to you, but are you able to name many great artists in history who died rich ?

The only artists I can think of that died with at least some money had sponsors that encouraged their work.

So I’m not sure much changes here.

If AI is supposed to stop us all from working, then those people will just be better off.

[digging]

> are you able to name many great artists in history who died rich

That's not relevant. There are tons of working artists today and there have been for decades. But if a person can't pay rent by selling their art, things suddenly change for millions of people.