This exemplifies why “AI steals from artists” is a narcissistic misunderstanding of the creative process. The goal of art isn't to make an artist feel special or make something that's 100% original. It's to provide a window in which one can express/explore something real about the human condition. "Great artists steal" because nothing is truly original. We are the same species on the same planet having different versions of the same experience. This is why you see so much amazing art that mirrors other art—every artist draws from the same well of inspiration: life. This is the same process AI facilitates. And you can't copyright the creative process. Great artists are rarely fixated on making the most original creation because such a thing could still be garbage. Originality ≠ quality. Originality and "getting credit" are things bad artists tend to obsess over because they're insecure about their work and thus do art for egoic goals first, like recognition or wealth. The highest tier of doing art is one in which you become a channel for the collective unconscious. It requires such a secure sense of self that you finally stop obsessing over yourself and just flow. "AI is stealing from me" is the opposite: ego and control.