We're putting the band back together. With AI.

I tried one of those AI image generators last week. Gave it a specific brief with mood and setting details. Got back something that actually felt right. Used it as a visual reference for a project.

An AI made your visual reference. I did not spend decades perfecting my craft so a computer could do creative work in six seconds. There's no SUFFERING in that output. No lived experience.

Ray, with respect — you're missing the point. Nobody's hanging it in a gallery. Elwood needed a quick visual and the tool delivered. The RIGHT tool for the RIGHT job.

I've seen this argument before, in every generation. When new tools showed up, the traditionalists said the craft was dead. The tool changes. The craftsperson doesn't.

Curtis is right. Also, some of these AI coding tools keep better consistency than most humans.

Fine. FINE. I'll concede that AI has uses as a tool. But I draw the line at it doing the actual creative thinking. You cannot tell me a machine understands what it feels like to pour yourself into a project.