Why Does This Feel Dishonest?

I'm experiencing a moral dilemma over this image. I created it, but to do so, I wholly enlisted the assistance of AI Designer. When it comes to artistic talent using a paintbrush, pen, or oil colors, I have absolutely no talent!

My recent photo software programs have become increasingly infused with what their sales reps call enhancements. These are enhancements that I didn't request and find increasingly difficult to work around. When I have used them, I feel that my photos no longer have the authenticity nor produce the style of imagery that I was entertaining at the moment they were taken. I find myself returning to previous versions of my software to find my identity in my recent photos. 

I don't think that I am alone in feeling this way. In the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, I have read articles that suggest that people feel resistance to AI and yet it is being forced upon them. Where I see benefit in change, I accept it, read about it, and experiment with it. AI holds benefits for all of us, but each of us has to discover to what extent and in which area of our life we are willing to welcome AI.

Recently, I read a book about the disciple Peter, as he was one favored by Jesus even though he made so many blunders in the way he boastfully behaved before his peers and in the way he approached living out his faith. The mental images from my reading of that book served as an inspiration for me to create a replica of the scene from that book using only AI. I set about this task by describing the type of image that was forming in my mind. It took me about seven or eight verbally nuanced descriptions to arrive at the unique image I had in mind. I described it as a painterly image on canvas that reflected the characteristics of Renaissance paintings. I took special care to describe details in the image like Jesus looking longingly at Peter while Peter's response was to look away in disappointment and shame. I wanted Jesus's hands bound and the guards watching over the scene in the background.  To help others identify the moment, I requested a rooster to be present.

After many iterations, my mind's image finally appeared before me. I post processed the color tones and minimally edited the image using On One Photo Raw. I felt pride in discovering that I could conjure this AI image on a computer screen which so faithfully reflected the scene in my mind. At this point, I began to feel ownership of the process but not necessarily ownership of the final product.

To expand upon my experiment, I took this image to my friend, Bob, at Image N That Photo, where I have all my photos printed. I asked Bob to print it on canvas to give it the look of an authentic painting. We discussed again the color tones used by Renaissance painters to adjust the tones differently than they appear in this image. The result of this experiment was satisfying for Bob and me. However, I could never feel enough ownership to allow my signature in the lower left corner as my artist friends so rightfully do.

I plan to have the canvas stretched and mounted for display. My intention is to put it on a wall so that I can see it frequently to better understand why I feel as I do toward it. There are times when I take a photo because "something" compels me to do so. If I don't take the photo, the moment and whatever future revelation it may hold will be lost forever. I believe that there are photos we make that bring our past forward, and there are others that flash before us  and distill the present, but there are also some that stir something within that may be hopefully revealed in our future.