AI "cannot replace" creativity and experience of garden designers, says Andrew Duff

As artificial intelligence grows its presence across many creative professions, Andrew Duff, chair of the Society of Landscape Designers (SGLD) makes it clear how important garden designers remain to be in spite of AI.

“Garden design is an art form,” Duff starts, and 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.”

As new technologies bubble ahead of RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026, including Spacelift, a new AI-assisted garden design platform for homeowners, Duff admits “AI may become a useful tool for inspiration, visualisation and concept exploration, much as CAD evolved to support the design process,” but makes it clear:

“It [AI] cannot replace the human understanding, creativity, accountability and experience that sit at the heart of successful garden and landscape design.”

Launching at Chelsea, Spacelift has announced its founding retail partner has been signed by Hiller Nurseries and Garden Centres.

Other AI-powered technologies across the industry include Nick Ruddle’s Landscape AI Assistant, designed to help landscaping businesses unlock practical, achievable growth.

While AI has a potential to replace creative professions, it also enhances risk of unrealistic expectations spread across platforms such as social media. According to a study undertaken by tech and AI researcher Everypixel Journal, 34 million images are generated using AI every day. Standing at 1.4 million images an hour and 23,333 images every minute, the amount of content flooding the algorithm is growing as 71% of images on social media are now AI-generated. Garden designers such as Rachel Platt and Elohim Tisserand explore how they’re maintaining expectations amongst the surge, while planting specialist Rae Wilkinson discusses the environmental concerns that follow in tangent on pages 53 – 55 in Pro Landscaper’s May issue.

Recent global environmental research that finds AI has released as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in 2025 as the whole of New York City, as its water usage overtakes that of the entirety of the global bottled-water demand.

As the UK’s professional body for garden designers, the SGLD “Will continue to champion the standards, skills and value of the profession while supporting members in navigating a changing landscape,” finishes Duff.