So now we've gone from "i respect pixel art and don't think of it as lesser" to "pixel art is so simplistic and stupid that it couldn't possibly be copyrightable".
You're wrong, of course, pixel art absolutely is copyrightable. I am not sure if the snippet of a larger tilesheet (from a larger game) is in itself copyrightable, but larger pieces of pixel art absolutely are. Even with mine, judgement is gonna depend a lot on legislation and on who has the better lawyer. As per ownership, I am actually pretty confident that my "paper trail" of my creative work, including aseprite files in a timestamped git repository showing my progress, would hold up to establish ownership in court. It doesn't really matter if you, personally, are able to recognize a distinct style in a work. That is not the standard the law applies to check if a work is copyrightable. I am not aware of any precedent when it comes to pixel art, but in music, landmark US cases have upheld copyright for musical motifs consisting of as little as four (that is the number that comes after three) notes because even that constitutes enough creative effort (the actual standard that is being applied) to constitute copyrightable material.
Could you get away with stealing my snake profile pic? Probably, because suing you is more trouble than it is worth. Would stealing my snake pixel art and passing it off as your own make you a thieving little asshat? Yes, absolutely. (Speaking purely in hypotheticals here, of course.)
To conclude:
* you have no clue about AI
* you have no clue about copyright
* your ethical framework consists of "if i can get away with it, it is morally acceptable"
It is pretty clear that itch.io should not take any advice from you. Now kindly stop embarrassing yourself.