[NateEag]

As others have pointed out in this discussion, there's a big difference between some humans producing drawings in a given style and a machine producing millions of illustrations per day in that style.

I have rarely been as disheartened as I am by the transformation of Studio Ghibli's beautiful art style, painstakingly developed over decades, into a heap of slop-trash that actively erases the human connections so artfully depicted in Hayao Miyazaki's work.

All that sorrow and it's not even my style.

So, no - a human who's willing to draw an illustration in a particular style, perhaps one they live and admire, is not necessarily a hypocrite for seeing genAI's ability to produce billions of images in that style.

[fennecfoxy]

I don't think mass production cheapens the handcrafted experience. Just because a factory can pump out cheap shoes doesn't mean it's no longer enjoyable to buy, own and experience a handmade pair of leather shoes; it's only that the reason for buying them becomes different (necessity vs. luxury).

The Ghibli thing is a great example; who's still actually doing that? It was a passing fad.

But let's not pretend that that passing fad has changed the fact that Ghibli's films are absolute masterpieces that will continue being enjoyed by generations to come. Because they are and still are.