That might be part of the equation, but for many it’s a strong gut reaction to having the work of themselves and others taken without consent, turned into the visual equivalent of pink slime and press-formed into other shapes, and sold as a service. It just feels wrong. Even I get a little squeamish thinking about it, and I only do art in a minor/hobby capacity — it’s something I’ve put time into, but it doesn’t pay my bills.

If training were purely ethical, the creative community probably still wouldn’t love generative AI, but it probably wouldn’t hate it nearly as much either. It’s the cavalier attitude towards violation of consent for the sake of profit that really seals the deal.