Opinion: Execution is Cheap, But At What Cost?

Lately, my feeds have been overflowing with AI-generated Studio Ghibli-style portraits. The tech is undeniably impressive. In just a few clicks, a unique, culturally rich visual language is reduced to a trend. What once carried emotional and artistic weight now risks becoming just another aesthetic filter.

I keep hearing: “Execution is cheap, ideas are everything.” And while AI does make polished output widely accessible, I don’t (want to) believe it has flipped the creative industry—not for those who truly understand their craft.

What it has changed is the perception of creativity. When anyone can generate “good enough” results instantly, the appreciation for depth, process, and originality begins to fade.

But this convenience comes at a real cost:

🔹 The culture we once valued becomes flattened and less meaningful

🔹 The individual expression and nuance of human creators are being drowned out by endlessly generated, lookalike content

🔹 And yes, I'll go there because I have to—the environment pays a price, with enormous energy demands fueling these models

And beyond the technical or aesthetic output, there’s a deeper concern: intention and authorship.

There’s a fundamental difference between a human being drawing inspiration and interpreting something through their own hands, emotions, and choices… versus a machine churning out infinite versions in seconds with no personal connection or understanding.

When artists look to other creatives for inspiration in the past, they still brought their own intention. They learned something. They grew. That’s what makes it human.

That’s the part I find troubling—not the existence of inspiration, but the loss of intention and the shifting of creative authorship away from individuals.

The power of intention now lies with the creators of the AI. That’s a lot of power in very few hands.

What used to be rare, personal, and deeply human is now mass-produced in seconds.

The creatives who’ll continue to matter aren’t the ones who master prompts—they’re still the ones with taste, with a point of view, and with the willingness to break the mold.

The speed and ease are impressive—no doubt. But that’s no longer the point. The real questions are: Why are we creating this? And what are we leaving behind as we do?

We can do better. And we should.