> Why does it HAVE to be my relative when the actual question is whether hello world web servers exist?

No, that is not the question. I mean, maybe it’s the question you are asking, but no one else is.

> I don't know why people are so determined to miss the point that "people can do [image manipulation] faster with AI" does not magically mean that people weren't doing it before AI, at scale mind you.

That is not the point. The argument is simple: easier and cheaper access to a tool makes more people use the tool more often. Manual image editing is harder and takes longer than typing words into a box, thus more people do it more often and with fewer thought.

If you have the idea to manually edit a wolf into a street, you’ll first have to go to your computer or tablet, have a bunch of skills, and spend time doing it. You have plenty of opportunity to say “fuck it, I’ll do something else”. Most people drop at that point because they can’t be bothered.

With generative AI, you can be so drunk you can barely stand, sitting on a portable toilet at a concert, haphazardly type a few words and get the result, immediately and for free.

Do you not see the difference between those two?

We can go further back: You could do image manipulation on film, before digital was a thing. But few people knew how or had access to the necessary chemicals and dark room. Do you not think the ease of access and digital tools increased the amount of people doing it?

> Did y'all really unironically believe EVERY single image you saw on the internet prior to the past few years was entirely real and entirely what it was presented as?

No, no one believed that and no one is making that argument and I think you know that.