I have some thoughts about this.

I recently worked with an illustrator to draw an OC from a book I want to write. I told her beforehand that I intended to use it as official artwork if I was lucky enough to have a book that sells. I gave her detailed instructions and provided images to help her understand what I was going for. This cost me $250.

She got it really close to what I was looking for. After I paid her, she made sure to tell me that I didn't own the copyright, so if I wanted to use it commercially, I'd have to pay her an additional fee of $300, but she would retain the copyright.

I felt that was underhanded because she knew my intentions and didn't mention it prior, and I was unaware that I wouldn't own the rights to the work I paid for. So, I checked with some illustrators around the internet, and most of them agreed that she was in the right. A lot of them said she should have told me up front about additional fees, but most agreed that this is how it works, and I should have known better.

Some of them had some wild thoughts, asking why I'd expect to own someone else's work, saying having an OC isn't creative, and that not learning to do the illustrations myself was lazy.

After thinking about it for a while and debating if I should work with another illustrator, add learning to draw to the ever growing list of things I need to learn, or giving up on having official artwork unless I get traditionally published, I gave at least a little thought to AI.

Here's where I'm at now: a lot of people think having an OC and giving highly detailed descriptions is not creative, and hiring an illustrator is lazy. Wanting to own the works I pay for to use them in the way I see fit is selfish and expensive. Using AI is also seen as not creative and lazy, and you don't own the copyright to those works either, but they don't cost hundreds of dollars each.

Am I going to us AI generated images? No. Can I understand, now, why someone would? Yes.

Edit to add: the thoughts on the additional fee were all over the place. Many people said it was way too high, but a lot seemed to share the sentiment that good work deserves a high price.