I think the point is that NFTs are a way to verifiably prove ownership of a digital asset - i.e. the most recent position on a verified chain of purchases. It'

I think the point is that NFTs are a way to verifiably prove ownership of a digital asset - i.e. the most recent position on a verified chain of purchases. It's like, imagine if you bought an original Picasso, but a device existed where someone walking past your house could magic a copy of your painting right into their hands, down to the molecule. Sure, you'd still have the original, but the only way to prove it is by referencing the paper trail from the auction house that you're the last person who purchased it through "official" channels. Same for these NFTs - the blockchain is the irrefutable source of who "officially" owns the art. Personally, I think this is only a thing because people generally want to show off the fact that they "own" something rather than "just" having it in their house. Like, why bother spending $XX millions on an original painting when you could just pay a talented artist to copy it for you with real paints for a fraction of the cost? As long as you're not trying to pass it off as an original for sale, no one would care if you cloned a famous painting. It's because being able to show off your name on the "who owns this" line is more important than the actual thing.