Is there a place for AI in the creative community?

In the past couple of months, I have noticed a growing concern in the creative community regarding AI.

Many artists, designers and creators are feeling a sense of foreboding, and it is not baseless; AI is suddenly everywhere, and there seems to be no way to completely block and protect yourself from it. 

Recently I checked my Pinterest settings to see if I could stop seeing AI content, I was disappointed to learn that you could not block AI pins, only limit them. Facebook and Instagram are the two social media I use, and both are infested with AI content. My family members, and favourite creators, or pages get buried under unwanted, irrelevant posts.  

As a creator, I feel it is time to come forward and make a statement to reassure my friends and customers that the patterns I offer and sell on my website and ETSY are free from AI and created by me. 

Recently, a customer contacted me about a problem she was having with printing the PDF of one of my sampler reproductions. I frequently get emails and messages from people who have downloaded or bought one of my patterns; often, the case with printing issues is due to the quality of the printer or the ink level in the cartridge. But since that was not the issue in this case, I looked over the PDF and realised that there was indeed an issue with the picture files of the patterns having gotten corrupt and missing elements. I'll be honest, I can't figure out exactly how and why, but I was able to fix the PDF. I then sent the updated version to all the customers who had bought the pattern, and got many kind and friendly messages in return. 

This is an example of what you can expect when you have a real creator behind a pattern. I have seen the reviews of AI-produced pattern sellers on ETSY and there are a lot of complaints. The patterns don't make sense; there is no customer service. And sadly, the sellers have a lot of sales because they can ''create'' many patterns in a short time, and the sheer volume of listings pushes them forward in the algorithm, putting real creators at a terrible disadvantage. 

Earlier this week, I filmed a short video where I explain where I stand and my view on AI and creativity. 

I am open to different opinions, and maybe there is a good argument for AI, so do feel free to comment and share your point of view. Respectfully, of course.