Comment by Karrot_Kream

Even before AI images became viable, you had folks in low cost countries doing the same thing with local talent. AI might make it easier but humans in those countries can give you art for a small enough amount that scale makes up the expense enough to profit.

This is even present in fandom communities where young artists from low cost countries charge a lot less than their high cost country counterparts, leading to popularity and exposure on top of just revenue.

The arts have so few barriers to competition that it's quite hard to compete unless your art is just that novel. Most artists that make a living do it by outputting boring things like commercial voiceovers, corporate illustrations, or headshot photography.