[bobxmax]

This is just shifting the goal posts though. I remember people making similar arguments in the early days of Photoshop, digital camera (and what constitutes a "real" photographer), CGI, etc.

I agree the magnitude of the step change is upsetting, though.

[sho_hn]

Right, I agree the sentiment isn't new, I'm mostly just trying to explain that way of thinking.

But yeah, the tension between placing a value on doing things just in time vs. reducing the labor by using tools or assets has surely always been there in commercial art.

[bobxmax]

Agreed. I think it also doesn't help that the AI companies are saying "well they will just get new jobs"