Entry to mid level GenAI jobs ask for 5+ years experience. Is it really that pervasive?

I was checking out GenAI related jobs on LinkedIn. Very mid level roles like Senior Consultant, Deloitte were asking for 6-10 years of experience in GenAI. Meaning the candidate should have been working on AI since pre-COVID times.

My understanding was that GenAI is still recent and most of us are catching up. Is there some huge secret cohort of folks who have been working on it since ages. Or are HR reps smoking some really good stuff?