I feel like AI just raises the floor but doesn't push the ceiling on the quality of creative works.

There's still space for creativity, novelty, invention and human intuition.

This is a fantastic point.

agreed. The problem is, often, when you can have "for free" something that is "good enough", you stop looking for better.

40 years ago, there was a market for:

  * newspapers

  * cameras

  * navigation tools

  * HiFi equipment

  * photographers, translators, etc

Same thing will happen for all the other markets that AI will gradually eat. Sure, you can find a human that can do better. But that costs 90$ / hour and requires finding someone, negotiating a contract, etc. But when people can do something good enough in 30 seconds with something they already have access to, and move on with their life, then that's what they'll do.

So just raising the floor will have a big effect on society.