KSteem! I really appreciate your honest opinion, and I'm honoured that you took out the time to stop by (apologies if you're one of those that don't like being tagged).
You know, the use of AI is something that is highly controversial and divisive, but you've nailed the fundamentals as to yourself, your personal beliefs and how it informs your actions as to how you manage the communities you run.
Honestly, I can't fault your POV. It is an ethical issue, and no one can be an epitome of morality, we all have some sense of what's good and bad which has been shaped by our experiences, upbringing, and sociocultural context in which we found ourselves.
We seem to be our own moral compass.
What I appreciate the most is how you clearly stated this:
anyone using extensively or without crediting it properly in the communities I manage will be muted permanently
Extensive use and crediting is an issue. To be honest, in my case, I was completely oblivious of this as I skipped on the community notice for this. I was in the wrong, though, my case swiftly went from the first notice straight up to muting, HW spamming comments, and downvotes. It seems they quietly stopped the downvotes, but I am not sure yet.
However, lessons learnt - I will be more careful going forward.
Thanks once again!