I disagree. Your artwork is influenced by all the art you've ever seen, just as AI-generated artwork is influenced by the data it was trained on. Both humans and AI learn from existing works and create something new from those influences. So if AI's learning process is theft, then a human's learning process is as well.

Hmm, I was just thinking about this just this morning. People say it's theft as it uses other art as examples, don't human pixel artists do the exact same thing? They'll look at other art for insiration and techniques. In fact, this is done with all kinds of arts and careers across the world. When the car was invented, everyone looked at it and made their own creation with four wheels based off the original car. I still prefer human art as the work put into it makes a difference, just as I would prefer homemade soup over factory soup. I agree with johndekale but still prefer human art. Isn't AI art human art, though? Think about it, humans have spent years and years making art. AI is just remaking that art. Without the human artists, AI would have no idea what to make, so it alllllllllll leads up to human artists. 

Again, this conflates inspiration with derivation. These are not the same thing.

don't human pixel artists do the exact same thing? They'll look at other art for insiration and techniques.

Yes, they do. But it depends on HOW they do it that determines if it is inspiration or derivation. Don't humans also steal art? Rip assets from commercial games (from other artists) and change a few things here and there? Don't humans kitbash assets from pixel artists without permission and try to pass it off as their own work?

Using the car analogy, there is a difference in looking-at-a-car-with-4-wheels-and-making-your-own-version-but-still-with-4-wheels vs copying-Henry-Ford's-blueprints-so-you-don't-have-to-understand-how-to-engineer-a-working-car-then-changing-some-features-around-so-no-one-knows-you-stole-the-plans.

Using the soup analogy, preferring homemade soup over factory soup is one thing, but when the reason the factory soup tastes like your grandma's homemade soup is because the factory owner stole your grandma's recipie? That's something else. 

Admittedly that is a hyperbolic oversimplification, but the point is, there are different ways to take art and produce some other art. Some of those ways produce new creations that are simply inspired by other art. Other ways produce derivatives, not new art, that is made up of stolen components of someone else's art.

Is that what AI is doing? I don't know for sure. It's still being decided by copyright law.

True, I see your points and they are valid.  I'm still learning about AI, it's a fast-moving industry that's hard to keep up with; even for the legislative branch. Everyone has different opinions and it will take some time for the dust to settle and laws to get clear.  AI is a very interesting topic that I personally enjoy talking about. It's still being explored and still being questioned. I'm glad people put time into researching AI and make strong, logical theories. Have a great day.