Chelsea flower show garden designers clash over use of AI

With glasses of champagne sipped among the peonies, Chelsea flower show is generally a friendly and genteel occasion. But this year, the secateurs have been drawn as gardeners clash over the use of AI in designing the exhibits. Matt Keightley, an award-winning designer who has created gardens for figures including Prince Harry, is using artificial intelligence to design his garden for the prestigious show, held at the Royal Hospital gardens in Chelsea, London, next week. He is launching a new app, Spacelift, which reportedly can replicate the work of garden designers and create spaces from scratch. Keightley said: “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.” Horticulturalists have expressed alarm that their work could be automated in this way. Andrew Duff, the chair of the Society of Garden and Landscape Designers, said: “Successful garden design is an art form. It is rooted in creativity, collaboration, experience and human connection. …