Is AI the greatest art heist in history?

This article argues that generative AI (machine learning systems that create new content like images or text) is harming the art world by using artists' work without permission to train itself, similar to a large-scale theft. The piece describes widespread concerns about AI in 2026, including environmental damage from data centers (large facilities that store and process information), harmful effects on users' mental health, and job displacement, issues that artists had warned about earlier.