AI has already changed the landscape. Whether we like it or not, people are now taking in that change in very different ways.
My sympathy leans more toward creators. If I love a work enough, I buy a full set of the original-language books and then buy the ebook version too, just so I can keep it with me. When a new chapter goes up, I read it right away. If there is a creator I really like, I follow them so I can watch or listen as soon as a new work or upload appears. That is partly affection for the work itself, and partly a wish that my support might help the artist, even a little.
Even so, I do not think that feeling is the whole answer. My position is also just one position among many.