The detail would likely take a human weeks. And I doubt a "mostly liberal art community" could come up with something this good, detailed and sharp, this quickly.
This was my thought as well. Especially, since the caption on X reads like an AI query:
Inspired by the visual language of old Ray Bradbury and Stephen King paperbacks, Justin Metz created this illustration, which may be the first cover without a headline or typography in The Atlantic’s 167-year history.
AI Art?
The detail would likely take a human weeks. And I doubt a "mostly liberal art community" could come up with something this good, detailed and sharp, this quickly.
This was my thought as well. Especially, since the caption on X reads like an AI query:
https://x.com/TheAtlantic/status/1833105626962055554