I made myself look like an idiot in front of my professors because I was defending my art against AI

I am an art major for digital media and my graduating class has a show where our work is displayed in a gallery. I made digital illustrations and put them together into a book format. One of the professors, Dr. K, walked up to them and asked me about it. She asked if I had used AI and I said I had not. She asked again, and I repeated that I had not. <br><br>A graduating student next to me said, "You don't have to be ashamed of using AI. Everyone's doing it." He even said, "Is it wrong that I used AI for my entire project?" My other professors said, "Is it art if its AI?" <br><br>Not a word in my defense. The professors left and my classmates questioned me if it was really true that I made my art myself. I muttered no and walked away from them, wondering if my art was any good if I didn't use AI and if I was just lying to myself for being good at art. I am very passionate about digital art and its value and to be shamed by this was a very painful humiliation.