It’s obviously horrible in the near term for the artist but long term if they realize there position they may come ahead. AI needs human originated art to keep going or it may devolve into a self referential mess. If the artists realize there common interests and are able to control the use of there art they may be able to regain an economic position and sell it to the AI training companies. The companies would probably want more differentiated art to freshen the collapsing median AI tends towards so they get to make the avant-garde art while the ad drivel and click farming is left to the AI. This would require a lot of government regulation but it’s the only positive outcome I can see from this so anything on that path, like the watermarking, would be good.

Are you seriously suggesting artists should pivot to selling their work to the LLM masters?

The same masters that stole everything, paid for nothing, and decimated their industry?