That depends on how easy it is to use the new tools.
Getting higher level languages and various libraries/frameworks didn't make coders obsolete, because there was still tons of work to do at a "higher level" that required algorithmic/engineering-style thinking. Yes, previously difficult tasks got a lot easier, but that just meant that even more ambitious projects could be tackled, and that was useful.
In contrast, it may be the case with art that the things a relative newbie can spit out with the help of image generation models are "good enough" for most use cases. Yes, a real artist would be able to squeeze out even more, but many companies may be willing to go with the option that's enormously cheaper and still seems to produce okay results.
Is the same not true for programming? There's a lot of non-programmers that create programs in Excel, or use no code solutions. A relative newbie can still get a Wordpress website up and running, you only need professional SWEs for the heavy duty stuff.
For better or worse, you very very quickly pile up complexity when programming in a way that novices can't deal with (and experts too, often).
What we're going to find out is whether novice users of image generator AIs frequently get stuck with inadequate results. IMHO the answer is likely to be "no", especially after we've iterated on the tools for a few more years.
Agreed, but the rub is that there was a ton of demand for "heavy duty stuff"; indeed, the improvement in code tooling actually increased that demand, because software programs became so much more powerful.
It's not clear that you'll see something similar here, that easier-to-produce high complexity art will greatly increase demand for said art.
Getting higher level languages and various libraries/frameworks didn't make coders obsolete, because there was still tons of work to do at a "higher level" that required algorithmic/engineering-style thinking. Yes, previously difficult tasks got a lot easier, but that just meant that even more ambitious projects could be tackled, and that was useful.
In contrast, it may be the case with art that the things a relative newbie can spit out with the help of image generation models are "good enough" for most use cases. Yes, a real artist would be able to squeeze out even more, but many companies may be willing to go with the option that's enormously cheaper and still seems to produce okay results.