Garden designers at the Chelsea flower show are clashing over the use of artificial intelligence in horticultural exhibits. Award-winning designer Matt Keightley is using AI to design his garden for the event at the Royal Hospital gardens, prompting concerns from professionals regarding the potential automation of creative design.
The Chelsea flower show, traditionally a friendly and genteel occasion
marked by peonies and champagne, has seen a sharp shift in tone this year. The tension stems from the introduction of artificial intelligence into the design process for the prestigious exhibits held at the Royal Hospital gardens in London.
The Spacelift Debut and AI Integration
Matt Keightley, an award-winning designer who previously created gardens for high-profile figures including Prince Harry, is at the center of this technological shift. Keightley is utilizing artificial intelligence to design his exhibit and is simultaneously launching a new application called Spacelift. The app is designed to replicate the work of designers and generate outdoor spaces from scratch.
Keightley frames the technology as a way to bridge a gap in domestic design tools. He notes that while technology is commonly used to plan the interiors of homes, it has remained largely absent from the planning of gardens. According to Keightley, the tool provides users with the necessary foundation to move from concept to reality.
We’re used to using technology to design every part of our homes – except our gardens. Spacelift changes that. It gives people a starting point, a plan, and the confidence to actually create something – not just imagine it.
Matt Keightley, garden designer
Professional Resistance and the Human Element
The inclusion of AI-generated designs has met with significant alarm from the horticultural community. Many professionals view the automation of design as a threat to the traditional craft, arguing that software cannot account for the living, breathing nature of horticultural spaces.
Andrew Duff, the chair of the Society of Garden and Landscape Designers, has voiced strong opposition to the trend. Duff argues that the discipline is fundamentally an art form that relies on qualities that automated systems lack.
Successful garden design is an art form. It is rooted in creativity, collaboration, experience and human connection. While technology may offer useful tools, it cannot replicate the insight, empathy and personal engagement that comes from working with a skilled garden designer to create a living, evolving natural space within the home.
Andrew Duff, chair of the Society of Garden and Landscape Designers
The Tension Between Automation and Artistry
The dispute at the Royal Hospital gardens reflects a broader friction within creative industries regarding the role of generative technology. While Keightley presents Spacelift as a tool for empowerment, providing users with the confidence to actually create something,
critics see it as an encroachment on a profession defined by human empathy and a deep connection to the natural world.
As the show continues, the presence of an AI-designed garden serves as a primary flashpoint for a debate over how much automation can be integrated into traditional horticultural arts before the essential human element is lost.
