Artist Database Leaked from Midjourney - What Does This Mean for AI?

A few days ago, a list was leaked called the 'Midjourney Style List' which held the names of over 16,000 artists whose work is said to have helped train Midjourney. None of the artists listed were credited or compensated for this. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding AI since its inception. This list proves that the creators were using copyrighted material to train the system. While this has been obvious with some of the 'artwork' being produced, this could cause major issues for the company.
One of the most prominent names on the list is Disney and Disney does not like copyright infringement. They have been known to sue small designers for breaking these laws, so there is no reason to think they wouldn't do the same to Midjourney. A lawsuit is already being brought against them and if they lose in court, the company may go under. 
The use of copyrighted material carries heavy penalities, but it appears in a bid to get ahead, the owners of Midjourney and similar companies, do not care about this. 
It may be tempting to use programs like this to create book covers, but you are only creating more problems for yourself. Using it as a shortcut or to save money is affecting your business in the long term.
I recently got asked to do a newsletter swap with an author whose book cover was a blatant rip off of Transformers. Everything to how the characters were posed to the coloring of the robot was taken almost directly from one of the movie posters. Many people think they can get away with it by changing a few things so it is not an exact carbon copy, but images like that are too famous and too easy to spot. Naturally, I declined to swap with him.
Sometimes the covers are harder to spot, but most of the time it is obvious. Why would you do this to your business? If someone were to issue a lawsuit against you, would you want that hanging over you? For new writers, or those who have very little or no budget, it can be tempting to go down that path. To get your book out there now so you can start making money. While not everyone will do it, I imagine a lot of readers will be put off by AI covers. Not only because they recognize the images, but most would assume that the book itself could be written by AI too. I personally believe this is a fad and that a lawsuit will bring in stricter regulations. Do yourself and your career a favor and don't get sucked in by the hype. There are affordable designers out there who are willing to work with you and create a gorgeous cover that will help sell your books. They are trained to know what your genre trends are and many now have payment plan options available. 
The future of AI could be on shaky ground.