im not mad or anything but why not just use stock photos?

Regarding the usage of AI Art for TEMPORARY PLACEHOLDER AND REFERENCE PURPOSES ONLY (for those leading to conclusions the moment they read "AI Art"). I personally do not support the usage of AI Art in any shape or form no matter how big or small it is, mostly because of the ethical connotations linked to it. Unless you can prove that you asked for permission to the artists whose art has been used to make that Ai-generated image.

As an alternative however, you guys can use stock images instead, and then stylize it the same way you did for the AI Art. Sure, it wouldn't be the exact way you envisioned it to look, but its otherwise better than potentially infringing on other artists' works.

Overall, while I understand the difficult position the team is currently in, there are still other ways to tackle it without resorting to AI Art, but I do not blame the team either for looking into it. I appreciate that you approached your audience about it!

Temporal AI placeholders are Ok for me as long they are removed later as the image is finished.
I know background pictures can take time and effort to create and sometimes is not easy to deal with.
These placeholders can make the task a little more easier as they can work as a reference and give an idea of what should be in the final design before they are created.

Im on the side of good for temporary bg and later used as reference to make the bg for the final version

Just read the update, personally am glad you decided not have an Gen-AI work present in the VN (and use it for references only which I think is the borderline okay-usage for the morality of what they steal trained on.) I think even just having photos IRL or even MS Paint is superior to AI since I hope not to see any corners cut. Cheers.

AI generated art tends to feel disjointed with reality. It slaps on the familiar, but it has no concept of beauty. Things will feel tilted, unaligned, and very unintentional, like an amalgamation of dreams. The quality will surely suffer if you go down that route.

I personally don't take issue if they're meant to be placeholders, concept art, or if you're experimenting with a change of ambiance before you invest into it properly.

However, AI art is not at that level of quality to evoke deep and complex emotions with your viewers. It shouldn't be used as a replacement for human generated art. I'm not saying that to give artists a job. AI Art really feels like it has no soul and is boring, even when you compare it to an artist that isn't particularly skilled.

I personally have no issue with it being used, especially considering that it can help to play with verbiage while brainstorming a scene. It can also help to communicate elements of a scene in a way that can transcend a language barrier.

AI backgrounds for placeholders and as reference ideas to help make your artists job easier sounds like a fine idea