I mean, if you're openly and immediately endorsing AI because you like the idea of it being a content creation megaphone for people who are not intelligent enough to understand content creation, whilst simultaneously identifying as one of those people (I'm not insulting your lack of intellect if you're proclaiming it right off the bat, and don't try to pretend like you didn't), then I can't imagine you're intelligent enough to understand the enjoyment of said content creation either. However, I'm going to refrain from stooping to your level any further, and will instead try to elaborate my thoughts on the AI question as best as possible. Past this sentence, this comment is no longer directed specifically at you, and is meant moreso as food for thought with regards to the AI-Trainz debate for the wider audience reading this thread, so you also need not reply any further (Sorry to JR for derailing your thread, and sorry for the impending wall of text; this will be my last comment on the subject in this thread).
So just to preface this, and to give folks reading this thread an idea of where I'm coming from with this; I have a route in this game that I've been working on for 3-4 years, which is absolutely not at all efficient. And it's not close to being finished either. But I enjoy working on it. In fact, I have enjoyed all 3+ years of putting the route together, despite having stripped it bare of all scenery and redoing everything from the ground up multiple times. And I went through all that effort because I have a creative vision, and I find the tools in this game to be a near-perfect platform for me to realise this vision. I believe the ease of content creation that comes with this game is likely what has kept me around for so long (Will have first installed UTC 20 years ago before the end of this decade), and I find myself spending significantly more time reskinning stuff, building routes, etc. than I do actually just running trains. I would like to really emphasize this point: I personally find it more fun to create trains than to drive trains. You would be utterly shocked how many people actually use this game primarily as a creative outlet/form of artistic expression. I am not personally incentivized by the idea making a profit off my route whatsoever, even after all the blood sweat and tears I've invested into it. I continue chipping away at this project simply because I enjoy doing so (I have posted previews of my work elsewhere on this forum in the past). Nobody is paid to keep their mind busy in their free time, but we all do it anyways.
So having said all that, this is the fundamental point here: People create content for this game because it is fun to do so; efficiency/profit motive be damned. I don't care how long my route takes for me to finish, because it's not just about finishing it. Quality over quantity is absolutely essential. But when I do eventually finish it? My plan is to make a second version set in the steam era. That will likely take me another several years' worth of work, and that prospect excites me greatly. I have stressed over the feeling that I'll never finish the route, and that I need to get it done and released as fast as possible, as if I have some arbitrary deadline to meet. Whenever I get into this mindset, I don't find myself becoming more productive; rather the opposite happens. It stops being fun to work on (which is the whole point) and progress slows down and sometimes even grinds to a halt. And yet, theoretically, were a day to ever arrive where a new version of trainz includes a feature that automatically generates content based on a prompt, that will most likely also be the day where I, along with most other dedicated content creators, pack my bags and leave.
This whole thing inherently devolves rather quickly from "Should we use AI to generate content for trainz", to "Should we automate the things that we do for our own enjoyment", and I believe the answer to both questions is "No". The reason for this, is that a fundamental aspect of art and creativity is that it's about the journey as much as it is about the finish line. AI generation is forever at odds with this reality because the entire basis of it's existence is to completely eliminate the journey. Trying to frame the debate of AI generated trainz content through any lens other than personal enjoyment in the form of art/creativity/self-expression is irrelevant here, because those things are why people create high-quality content for this game in the first place. 99.9% of us devoted content creators are not turning a profit from our contributions to this game; not that that was ever the intent to begin with. You realize very early on that trainz content creation is not viable as a primary source of income (JR/RRMods are exceptions to this rule, not examples). You can use AI programs to create content without a profit motive, but again... What is even the point of automating it if I enjoy doing it? Like that's the whole damn reason I'm still here in the first place.
Having a creative vision and setting your mind to it and seeing it through to completion without a profit incentive is a fundamental human experience. No AI program will ever be able to subjugate the immense satisfaction that comes with actually doing something yourself.
