Are we losing the incentive to be creative? The "AI did it" assumption.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the intersection of AI, copyright, and meritocracy, and honestly, it’s incredibly demotivating.

Here is my point: whatever I code today, people are going to look at it and say, "It wasn't you, it was AI." The exact same problem is happening with any kind of text. If I spend hours pouring my soul into an amazing article, researching and crafting the perfect arguments, the immediate cynical reaction is, "ChatGPT wrote this."

It begs a massive question about the future of meritocracy. What kind of incentive do people have to come up with truly creative, original work if they aren’t going to be credited or held responsible for it?

Historically, creating something of brilliance, of significance, or of profound artistic value came with the reward of recognition. It proved your skill and your vision. But if the default societal assumption is now, "Whatever, it wasn't you that did it," why bother? Where does the drive to achieve mastery come from when the finish line has been erased by the assumption of automation?

I’m really curious how other creators—coders, writers, artists—are dealing with this psychological shift. Are you finding new incentives, or does it feel like the concept of personal merit is slipping away?