AI Doesn’t Devalue Art

AI Doesn’t Devalue Art—But It Forces Us to Redefine It

Artificial intelligence isn’t going away. And honestly… maybe that’s a good thing.

Some people are thrilled about it. Others can’t sleep at night. But regardless of where you stand, one thing is certain: AI is now part of our world. As long as there’s money to be made and systems to optimize, AI will keep advancing. And no, it’s not going to wait for us to catch up.

As a writer and freelance editor, I’ve had a front-row seat to the panic, outrage, and soul-searching happening across creative communities. When machines can write blog posts in five minutes, correct your grammar in seconds, or generate an entire short story with a prompt, it’s natural to wonder: Does my work still matter?

Just because you spent time doesn’t mean you earned a paycheck

I know. That sentence probably sounds wrong. But give me a second.

Recently, an indie author shared that she used AI to generate a book cover because she needed it quickly and didn’t have the budget for a professional artist. She said, “My time has value.”

And she’s absolutely right.

Time is valuable. But we’ve been conditioned to think “value” automatically equals “payment.” It doesn’t. And honestly, it shouldn’t.

Do artists deserve to be paid for their work? Yes—kind of. Let me explain.

I wrote a short story I’m proud of. It only got a handful of readers. No one paid me for it. Does that mean the story is worthless? That I wasted my time? Not at all.

Spending time on something doesn’t automatically earn you success or a paycheck. And that’s a hard truth we all have to swallow.

But it’s also a freeing one.

Because your worth as a human being isn’t defined by productivity or profit. That’s capitalist thinking—not creative thinking.

If I sell a book and someone buys it, yes, I deserve to be paid. But if I create something and no one wants it right now, that doesn’t make me less of an artist.

AI isn’t the villain. How we use it is the real question.

The real issue with AI isn’t that it can write or draw or generate ideas.

The issue is that a lot of AI tools were trained on stolen content—millions of artworks, articles, and designs created by humans who were never asked for permission, never credited, never paid.

That’s theft. Plain and simple.

If you’re using AI to help with brainstorming, grammar checks, or idea generation—go for it. I do too. But using AI to replicate and profit off other people’s uncredited work? That’s a different story.

So, what happens to creatives in the age of AI?

I don’t believe AI will destroy art. But I do think it’s changing the way we define it.

We’re no longer rewarded just for the effort we put in. We’re rewarded when we connect with others, when we create something that resonates, when we build trust.

That’s when human creativity shines.

AI can’t replace people. But it will force us to make more honest art.

If this made you pause or think a little deeper, maybe share it with someone in your creative circle. And if you want more “late-night creative crisis turned thoughtful rant” content, I write about writing, freelancing, and tech every weekend on my blog.

Oh—and no, AI didn’t write this article for me. But thanks to the Internet and my very real, very human coffee addiction, it got done a lot faster.