Thank you for such an insightful reflection. Your experience with children’s art really underscores the unique value that art can have beyond formal labels or classifications. Children’s creations are so pure and unfiltered — they are art because they convey something deeply honest, unclouded by the need for approval or recognition. I mentioned it earlier, but once again... Picasso once said, "It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child," and I think that captures so well the incredible challenge of preserving that original, unbridled creativity.

AI-generated art, by contrast, isn’t striving to capture emotion in the same way — it doesn’t have intent or the vulnerability that gives human art its depth. But that doesn't mean it lacks value. Human-AI collaboration is opening a new chapter in how we define and expand creativity, even if it doesn't meet the classic definitions of "art" or isn't fit for copyright. It’s an evolving tool, perhaps more like a new kind of paintbrush than an artist in its own right.

Not everything needs to be capital-A "Art" to have meaning or to move someone. The small, the simple, the fleeting — those creations also play a role in how we communicate, express, and share our experiences. Not every image needs elevation; sometimes, just existing as it is gives it value enough.