I started doing photography as a means of staying sane during COVID lockdowns. It has been a great way to get me outside and moving (mostly in nature) when there was not much else to do.
Having said all that, I think the real value in photography is the doing itself. Yes, the profit generated by each photograph will go down to zero, but I think the real value for people will come from the experience of going out and making a photo.
My most memorable photograph is waking up at sunset in the middle of the mountains only to see the sun shine on a giant piece of rock. The photos I took are good, but you can just google it and you will see thousands of them.
The photos I took are just a reminder of me running out of the tent to stare at the beauty of nature. AI will never give me that. Not because it can’t generate a better photo, but because it can’t generate the pain on my back from a heavy backpack.
Photography thought me how to look for those odd moments at sunset/sunrise, weird cloud formations that make the rest of the experience that much more enjoyable.