I am tired of hearing/reading book writers saying "sorry" for using AI when you know you're not actually sorry. Photopea is free. Pick up the editing skill for book covers. Using AI is harmful for the environment and you are directly contributing to the building of data centers that displace locals. These locals must deal with the fallout of toxins in their water, air, and food because of these centers. Extremely weird for you to simply say "sorry, maybe move on and don't read if it bothers you". How about you contact an artist if you are too indifferent to learning the editing skill (if you use AI to write than you shouldn't even be writing books). Otherwise, you know what people used to do and still do for covers? Grab a random photo, slap a simple title on it, and call it a day. Absolute lunacy. Phrases such as "AI is simple!" and "It's fast and I get a cover semi to what I want," are not good excuses. Just say you fell into the discourse of AI being an inevitable part of life when it doesn't have to be. Exhausting.
Also the "I'm not an artist" phrase is not an excuse. You just refuse to do something simple that writers have been doing since the dawn of fanfiction. They don't claim to be artists but still have covers that catch audiences. It's also not about the covers but about your writing being good. If you want to continue contributing to AI and the discourse of its inevitability, cool. But you will not have any respect from artists, writers, or anyone who actually cares for authenticity.
