Incredible strides in the complexity of creative AI models have left many artists skeptical about artificial intelligence, and rightfully anxious about what the future holds. But is AI really the monster, or a misunderstood artist’s assistant? — My life’s journey has afforded me insight into both what it means to be a working artist in the modern age, and the future-shaping, unstoppable force that is artificial intelligence. Needless to say, I didn’t anticipate these worlds colliding as spectacularly and violently as they have recently.