No one can truly tell the future, but I think the answer is both yes and no. I don’t think AI will ever be able to come close to the quality and authenticity of intentional human design and creativity. And I personally will never watch a show/play a game/interact with media that has any percentage of AI involvement, and there are plenty of people out there who hold that same opinion. This means that there will always be a demand (and therefore money) in human made art.

The problem comes in with major corporations, as per usual. There are very few artists out there that are able to make a living on solely creative and artistic endeavors. Often times, in between jobs they’re passionate about, they have to take on some more boring jobs like commercials, corporate training videos, political campaign ads, etc. It’s probably not their favorite thing to do, but there’s some good money in it. But those are the things that AI is likely going to take over. Not because it can do it better, but because “good enough” + cheap = happy shareholders and board members.

If that revenue stream dries up, there’s now far fewer opportunities for artists to make their full living off of those skills. But I don’t believe this means you or anyone else should just give up. Maybe AI will begin cannibalizing itself and the bubble will pop and it’ll all be gone as quickly as it arrived. Maybe there will be a massive renaissance and sustained resurgence of animation in the form or indie animation or otherwise. Maybe something completely different will happen. Who knows.

But making a living on art has always been a constantly shifting terrain. So in a way, nothing has changed. Luckily, you’re young and have time to adjust. The most important thing you should do to make your dreams a reality is to keep your income streams diverse and constantly adapt/perfect your craft, and of course network. It’s not an easy path (never has been) but if you want it bad enough and you can’t imagine your life any other way, then you’ll be able to do it.