The Part Where We All Exhale and Act Like Adults.

Look, I’m just going to say the quiet part out loud because everyone else is too busy performing ethics in the town square. Generative AI isn’t a fad. It isn’t a phase. It isn’t going back in the box. It’s here. It’s already woven into every creative industry whether we like it or not. And pretending otherwise is starting to feel like arguing with the tide.

And yes, I can already hear the chorus warming up. I’ve heard every version of the lecture. I’ve had strangers explain to me why I shouldn’t even exist if I use AI in my workflow. I’ve seen people claim that clicking a button is theft. I’ve watched friendships melt down over a chatbot.

But here’s the thing no one wants to say out loud. We’ve spent years telling small creators to “follow their dreams” and “just put yourself out there” and “why don’t you make something original for once.” And then, the moment someone without a big budget finds a tool that finally lets them stand on even footing, everyone starts throwing rocks.

It’s exhausting.

Here’s my reality. For years, I held back from publishing my game supplements because I never had the art. Not the budget for it, not the network for it, not the time to go hunting for it. And you know how brutal that is when you’re trying to build something in the TTRPG space. Art is the barrier. Art is the door guard. Art is the thing that can make or break whether a supplement looks “real” enough to take a chance on.

I wrote adventures. I wrote monsters. I wrote settings. And then they just… sat there. Piled up in my folders like forgotten relics. You can’t publish blank pages. People expect visuals. They want the full experience.

Generative AI changed that for me.

I’m not talking about using it to replace artists. I’m talking about being able to publish at all. I’m talking about being able to create anything instead of staring at my unfinished drafts and wondering if I should bother. Because now I can generate placeholder art, test art, concept art, mood-setting art. Sometimes I keep it. Sometimes I replace it later with something hand-drawn for a final release. But the important part is that I’m no longer stuck.

That one shift cracked the door open just wide enough for me to squeeze through. And on the other side of that door? A small, humble income. Nothing dramatic. But real. Mine. Earned. And that matters more than any online argument.

We don’t pump out AI slop around here.

And before anyone tries to twist this into some kind of “AI slop defender” moment, let me make something painfully clear. I’m not pro-slop. I’m not pro-lazy shortcuts. I’m not waving around half-finished first drafts and calling it art. Every single thing I publish still gets the same treatment it always has- editing, revision, rewriting, second-guessing, more editing, another round of polishing, and then maybe just maybe I let it see the light of day.

AI doesn’t replace the heart. It doesn’t replace the soul. It doesn’t replace the part of the process where you sit there agonizing over a sentence because it doesn’t sound like you yet. That’s the human stuff. That’s the craft. And anyone who thinks a generator can do all that for them is setting themselves up for disappointment. What AI can do is clear the roadblocks so the human part can actually happen. It lets me spend my energy on the things that matter, like theme and tone and emotional resonance, instead of getting stalled forever because I can’t afford a piece of art for page seven.

AI didn’t steal anything from me. It gave something back.

I understand the fears. I really do. The TTRPG community is full of passionate artists trying to protect their craft. But shutting down tools that help small creators survive doesn’t protect anyone. It just preserves a hierarchy that already favors the people who have money, connections, and time. And frankly, I’m tired of pretending that’s noble.

I’m also not going to apologize for using every tool available to carve out a corner of this hobby for myself. If big studios get to use AI, if AAA publishers get to automate their workflows, if marketing firms get to hyper-optimize their content, then why can’t the rest of us?

Why can’t the person in their basement at 2am making a monster stat block?

Why can’t the blogger?

Why can’t the solo creator?

If AI lets someone with zero budget make their dream project instead of burying it in a drawer, then I’m going to cheer for them. Every time. Because the hobby thrives when more voices get a seat at the table. Not fewer.

So yes. AI is here to stay. And honestly, thank goodness.

Because without it, I’d still be waiting for permission to create. And I’m done waiting.

Thanks for hearing me out.

Thank you for being here with me today. I appreciate you. Keep it real, but please strive for positivity, too. Please embrace the things that bring you the most joy in your life.