The increase in income during a recession is because people are choosing stock instead of going and doing a photo shoot themselves.

Stock is still the easiest, safest, cheapest option - VS your own shoot.

So I don’t think that means it’s future proof in any way.

On the contrary it means that the same cost-saving decision will be made again and there’ll be a move to AI images when they are slightly more mature - ie when the legalities of copyright have been fully figured out.

(I work at a big ad agency and I know the copyright thing is currently a massive drag on potential usage)