I think the "soul" conversation is still worth having, as one of art's great virtues is its cathartic nature. For many human artists, it is an outlet. This is something that human-based art offers that AI (today) cannot.

There is also the connection piece between the artist and the consumer, that is currently lacking in purely AI-generated art. I think these criticisms based on the "soul" (using this as an umbrella term) of art's participants are absolutely warranted. Fear, maybe not.