>>722990604
>I don’t see how you can say with a straight face that the average person has had any serious barrier to entry in the visual arts for the last century
It's a skill that requires much time and money. It really isn't a very valuable skill either unless you're the best of the best. Try to paint a mountain adequately (like at a Bob Ross level) and record how many hours and dollars worth of paint it took to get there.

Then tell an AI generator to make a nice mountain using an oil painting style. Note the time it takes (15 seconds) and the cost ($0). That is the reduced barrier to entry.