This isn't "brands" suddenly gaining a conscience and recognizing the harms of GenAI slop.

It’s that kind of skill that some artists say has become a greater asset than ever. In the age of widespread and accessible AI, artists say they’ve noticed more brands leaning into handcrafted art as a selling point.

...

“In previous years, I felt like I was just some hired content creator. No one really cared to tag me or make a [collaborative post],” Golovlova said. “And I think now for brands, it becomes valuable to bring the artists together with the brand to show that they are working with real people.”

They're supporting real artists (again), because "line go down." People generally don't want slop, and parading it around is akin to shouting, "We cut somebody's livelihood to sell you more crap!" Not a good look.

This is the same song and dance as rainbow capitalism, and for every artist that's suddenly appreciated by Big Corpo again, there's likely ten more who are still struggling thanks in part to the very GenAI these big companies still support (just not publicly).

Don't be tricked by brands tokenizing artists. Find an artist you like and support them directly.