just put trolls on ignore and focus on your business.

they are not here for stock, just to enjoy themselves by disturbing.

Well said.   Times are hard enough for stock contributors as is,  we should be here supporting each other and exchanging useful info instead of trading senseless insults and hatred

Much like everything in this world, this topic has been reduced and oversimplified to extremes. It's simply not that black and white, there are many layers of grey. The advancement of technology is inevitable, and shouldn't be feared or hated just for being. AI should/could be such a great thing in fields like medicine with early detection of disease, simplifying complex problems, etc. But despite it's potential, the rich and the powerful choose to focus on using it to reduce paying people who do honest jobs and take more of the pie for themselves, and eliminate those of us that were once a necessary part of the process. It should be US against THEM. But nope, we choose to lash out at each other instead. Exactly as they want. It's an old tactic they nudge us into, to divide and distract.

The thread author's heart is in the right place, but the idea and suggested efforts are futile. The all out anti-AI posters are afraid of what they don't understand. That this technology can be very useful, if not exploited like it has been. And the pro-AI defenders underestimate it, and don't seem to realize how that technology is being used by these companies in an attempt to replace them. Some are excited by the one time payouts they threw our way, without any thought into why these companies might be doing that. It won't be long until it becomes deathly clear, once your regular income dries up.

It's been said "if you don't like it, leave" more or less in this thread. That's a fine sentiment, but in reality, there is no where left.

When iStock was taken over by Getty, some of us did just that, we left. But too many of you chose to stay and support them. They become wealthier, and became an example of how we, collectively, as stock content creators, can willingly be exploited. When Shutterstock changed their tier structure and lowered our royalties, some of us left and protested, some of you chose to stay and support them. They became wealthier and more dominant, simply because too many contributors didn't understand how bad that deal was, and were afraid to sacrifice their short term earning in favor of long term stability. So yeah, some of us did leave. But not enough. We went to Pond5. Pond5 was it, the last stand. And because too many of you stuck in there with those other terrible companies, defended them, and helped them enrich themselves, they were able to buy out and gut the last honest company left. Pond5 is a shell of what they once were. There is no where else, aside from a handful of niche companies that accept very few new contributors and/or require blanket exclusivity.

We are all watching it burn down. Some of us are lucid and cathartically expressing our remorse for not being able to slow it down. Some of you are pouring more gas on the flames, unable or unwilling to look inward and accept your part in getting us here, and even still while it's so bluntly obvious how bad it's getting, still lash out against your fellow contributors that have always just wanted to help us all succeed and overall do better.

Best of luck to all.

A photographer with any self-respect won't use "stolen" skies or any other stolen material (ie generative fill)

Agreed.  When I see great sky in nature I simply point camera and take several shots. I got personal library over 100 such shots, with/without clouds, different time of day etc. Then later if I feel the need to replace the sky on something else I have variety of my own samples to choose with. To each their own, but to me this is so much more rewarding than AI fakes