Given how so many people turn into Fine Arts appraisers the second they see AI art, I don't see it taking off like it's projected. Now, it's good for cheap, disposable, stylistic neutral porn and to make standardized animation, but it can't replace artists as a whole.
Waiting for that shoe to drop.
I have a ethical sense of AI, I don't use 1 to 1 AI renderings in my work. They're used as concept art.
In probably a few more months, the image generating AI will be able to consistently render characters doing different things.
Right now it's kiiiinda close, but details major and minor change too much.
There are a couple anime specific AI video generators that are coming along nicely, but again, consistency is king.
Will it replace hand drawn stuff?
Immediately.
Will that last forever?
No. But's not going to disappear either. Not even 50/50 in the market. Probably 70AI / 30Human.
The fact that a lot of outsiders don't consider about AI's entertainment value, is that it's rapid content generation.
Even Youtube predicts that next year 80% of the content on it's platform will be AI generated. That doesn't mean the human stuff is going away, that just means that there's now 80% MORE Youtube uploads that are AI based content.
Right now, you can automate your Youtube video production. You don't even have to use your voice, or type the script.
It's only going to take another year or two before WB, Disney, Universal, etc. roll out an app that you pay $20 for a movie based on your content generation. They get the commercial Rights to that movie; and you get to see John Wayne as Batman fighting space demons on a Martian milk beetle farm---in the distant past.
Same with comics. Right now there's a song creation AI that's pretty damn good. You don't even have to feed it lyrics. It'll just accept "Write a song about John Wayne being Batman rescuing Martian Milk Beetles from Space Demons in the Old west---on Mars." and it'll render out a whole song. Lyrics, beat, chorus, ect. in just about 2 minutes. 4 minute song. Ready to roll.
The "quality" that the CG used car salesmen want to tell you matters to the consumer; actually doesn't.
Over on BIC YT, I'm building a following of people that like the music I create for the videos I post.
They want me to produce an album.
It's all AI generated music that I massaged into something that sounded good to my ears.
It truly scares me how effective the music end of AI generation is. Protest songs are a snap.
I even remixed that Socialist Megaphonix 'Eating The Dogs' song in under a half an hour. Most of that was just futzing around with the timing of the lyrics. Perfectionist bullshit.
Get used to AI content.
It's going to be in everything for the next 30 years or so.