The chief executive of one of Northern Ireland’s leading photography galleries has defended the inclusion of AI-generated images in an exhibition.
Deirdre Robb of the Belfast Exposed gallery acknowledged that the images are “controversial” but said the work “does ask questions.” Some photographers have criticised the decision to feature it. Local artist Chloe Austin argued that “AI completely devalues creative labour” and that it fails to capture culture, memory, or language because it is trained on data.
The AI images formed part of an exhibition called “Beneath the Surface,” created by nine Master of Fine Arts graduates from Ulster University. Robb said the context behind the work was an examination of misogyny, describing it as “quite satirical” with “a good bit of humour in it.” “Belfast Exposed has never been afraid of controversy or putting things out there or asking the important questions, and to me this is no different than that,” she added.
How the Images Were Created
The artist behind the images, Jonny Sheridan, described them as exploring the “perils of AI.” He said creating the pieces with generative AI software “took far more than pressing a button.” “Each scene began with an idea and went through rounds of prompting, rejection, and revision,” he told BBC News NI in a statement. “Everything was considered and reworked, including composition, background, character development, lighting, style and symbolism.” The work, he said, addresses concerns about AI’s alignment with human values, its impact on employment, and fears about the end of humanity.
Austin, who graduated from the same Masters course in 2020 and has since gained a PhD, took a sharply different view, arguing that AI is “completely eroding creative jobs.” The technology “scours the web for other artists’ work and steals it without any permission,” she said. “The people who are really suffering are the creatives who have dedicated their whole lives to doing this, and now people can just type in a prompt and create it in seconds.” She added that art should forge human connection, something a prompt cannot do. “There’s no connection to be made through an AI prompt, and isn’t that what art is meant to do? Art is meant to connect people, that’s the most powerful thing about it.”
Calls for a ‘No AI’ Policy
Belfast-based photographer Brendan Harkin went further, arguing that galleries should adopt a “No AI” policy and calling its use “unethical.” He pointed to the environmental toll. “There’s the environmental impact which is well known,” he said. “These AI data centres use huge amounts of water, particularly when it comes to image generation, because of the amount of water needed for cooling them.”
Harkin also questioned the work on creative grounds, calling it “just bereft of creativity to me.” “There was an idea there that Sheridan had, and rather than using the skill and creativity of photography, he opted to use AI,” he said. “It’s a shame because this has become the story about it.”
