Generative AI is shaking off its reputation for producing only ‘AI slop’ and is increasingly being embraced by artists to create compelling and impactful artworks. Platforms like Midjourney and Runway are now tools for serious creative expression, leading to gallery exhibitions and auction sales. Jacob Adler, an AI Film Festival winner, champions AI’s accessibility, seeing it as a democratizing force in the creative world. While concerns remain about a potential flood of low-quality content, artists such as Henry Daubrez, whose AI-generated visuals for a bitcoin NFT sold at Sotheby’s for $24,000, highlight the positive impact of making creative tools available to a wider audience. Beth Frey, recognized for her striking AI art on Instagram, finds that as the technology becomes more refined, its inherent unpredictability—a key appeal for many—can diminish. Kira Xonorika, whose film ‘Trickster’ resides in the Denver Art Museum, prizes this unpredictability as a form of co-creation. While challenges to its full acceptance as a legitimate art form persist, the increasing presence of AI art within respected institutions suggests a growing recognition of its artistic merit and potential.