Are we becoming lazy? (A rant)

Throughout the past few months, I’ve noticed more and more AI usage throughout football card/sports card content I’ve seen online. At first it started with a few YouTube thumbnails, but now, almost every other account I see on Instagram is blatantly using AI generated profile pictures, themes for posts, or even using AI to create their posts/enhance pictures.

I have personally been against AI ever since I saw it being used for essays in college by a friend in 2024. It does nothing but remove creativity, and jobs for artists of many kinds. Not to mention the water and energy it wastes. We see all the bad that has been brought from AI, yet it seems like such a normalized thing in the community. Content creators I once watched frequently have started using AI for their thumbnails, even within their content; I have lost respect for anyone who uses AI within this hobby.

I understand there is some good to be had, but AI should never be used for anything that is creative in any way. It’s honestly disappointing seeing how common and accepted this is in the hobby now.

Just needed to rant. Thanks for reading.

TLDR: AI sucks and shouldn’t be used in any creative ways in the hobby, or in general at all. It is too common and accepted in the hobby and needs to stop.