I haven't read your story yet...just the postscript. Hallelujah! OMG, it's becoming a form of visual abuse. These are so formulaic, so transparently syntheses of other people's thoughts. It hurts my eyes. I don't think use of an AI image indicates AI writing. Often it indicates weak writing. Writing for which an author could not be bothered to come up with an original image.
What does it take to slap your own photo on top of a story? What does it take to click on Pixabay and come up with an image? Why would you delegate your creativity, your idea to someone or something else? We grow up (that is, mature) with a desire to be independent, to be ourselves. And then we turn that long struggle for autonomy over to another entity ??? I don't get it.
You see, you hit a really sensitive issue for me.
I was thinking about this yesterday, how people are just giving up to it. Here, take what little brain I have left, I'm sick of thinking make my life easy, make me money. I don't need to read, to craft, to discover for myself. Its awful to realise (yet again) that for the vast part, humans are lazy, easily manipulated, too ready to give up who they are and who they can be.
It's a sensitive one for me too. I have learnt a lot about it, and I understand how to use it, and U HAVE used it, so I have perfectly good authority to argue that it is something that must be restrained, checked, monitored and in most cases, rejected entirely.