AI doesn't belong here

i understand that people are interested in AI and its potential as a new technology, but i, as well as many, many other artists, do not think it has a place in art. generative AI is trained through art theft and creates a product that has no true connection to humanity and often looks really bad. it's just a machine that recognizes patterns and replicates them. kandi is an art form, and the AI tool for pattern making (edit: totally my bad including this! this tool was removed a long time ago, i should have checked. it was a major factor in me personally not wanting to use the site for a while tho, which is why im leaving this here) as well as the AI images in the blog posts is something i find kind of jarring and insulting. it doesn't fit with PLUR, since it shows a lack of respect for kandi as an art form and for artists in general. it shows that someone wasn't willing to compensate or even credit an artist, taking the place of an artist who could have been celebrated for their work. instead of lifting up a member of the community, a machine is stealing someone else's work to cut down on costs or effort. why would i care about something no one bothered to make? i find it especially ironic that AI images were used on a post about how to be more sustainable in kandi making, since generative AI uses up a ridiculous amount of water and energy. i love kandipad. its a great creative outlet and it helped me discover my love if kandi. but AI is making my experience here worse, as it shows a lack of support for the very people and community it was created to host. if the AI was removed, it would be a less hostile place for artists, as well as lowering our environmental impact and showing that we do not support the replacement of artists with soulless machines that steal our work.