That's a needlessly harsh judgement! To use an analogy, one should reasonably be able to attend a forensics conference without ending up as a forensics case themselves. Also, generative AI isn't just for creating fakes.

Harsh judgement maybe but to me paying $500 for tickets to a convention about anything is drinking the kool-aid about that thing.

I don't know about all conferences, but in my line of work most conferences cost up to $2000 or even more (for example "late tickets" to a conference I'm attending in June cost $3000). I guess enough people (or rather, employers) consider it valuable enough to pay this price.

Yes, but you'd not be the one buying the tickets, your employer would.

As we know, prices that can be expensed out have a tendency to be considerably larger.

Some of the best advice ever: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-7o9xYp7eE

Never talk to cops.