In recent weeks, both DriveThru RGP and WotC have issued statements concerning the use of AI-generated art in their products. In both cases, they're taking a line against the use of such things.
Which is all fair enough - it's their prerogative to set their own policies as they see fit.
However, I do find myself wondering if it's at all worthwhile. The truth is that "AI" art is here to stay, and will only get better with time. Before too long we will reach a point where it is simply indistinguishable from anything that a human artist can generate. At which point unprincipled actors are likely simply to pass off the AI art as their own work, and nobody will be able to tell the difference.
I think this issue of AI art is really only a piece of the bigger issue of automation in general, which is likely to massively shake up the world of work over the next couple of decades, and which requires a cultural shift that moves way beyond RPGs themselves. Ultimately, I suspect we'll need to move to a paradigm where people create products because they want to do so, and not because they expect to be paid for them - because, simply put, it's likely the ability to get paid for them (and many other things) is likely to go away... along with the ability of people to pay for them in the first place.
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