![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Jonny-Sheridan-2-800x800.jpg\")
From \u2018Galatea\u2019 by Jonny Sheridan. | AI-generated <\/p>\n From \u2018Galatea\u2019 by Jonny Sheridan. | AI-generated <\/p>\n
A photography gallery in Belfast has come under fire for hosting an exhibition that featured one artist who submitted a series of AI images. <\/p>\n
Jonny Sheridan\u2019s work, titled Galatea, is described as an \u201cAI-based photographic work depicting a failed near future romance between a man and his robotic AI girlfriend.\u201d <\/p>\n
47-year-old Sheridan, originally from Dublin, says that his work explores the perils of AI, looking at \u201cwhether AI compounds misogyny or if it merely reflects it.\u201d It was exhibited alongside eight other Master\u2019s graduates from Ulster University. <\/p>\n
Sheridan\u2019s project is inspired by the Greek myth of Pygmalion, a Cyprian sculptor who despised real women and carved an ivory statue of an ideal woman \u2014 he fell deeply in love with it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt took far more than pressing a button,\u201d Sheridan tells the Belfast Telegraph<\/a>. \u201cEach scene began with an idea and went through rounds of prompting, rejection, and revision.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cEverything was considered and reworked, including composition, background, character development, lighting, style and symbolism,\u201d he adds. \u201cConcerns about AI alignment with human values, the impact on employment and fears about the end of humanity are addressed.\u201d <\/p>\n Backlash <\/p>\n Belfast Exposed<\/a>, which is hosting the exhibition titled \u2018Beneath the Surface\u2019 and describes itself as \u201cNorthern Ireland\u2019s premier photography organization\u201d, has faced considerable criticism for including Sheridan\u2019s AI images. <\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that this AI slop sits alongside real works by actual photographers is a complete insult to the artists and to the audience,\u201d says Chris on Instagram<\/a>, who went to see the exhibition. <\/p>\n One photographer tells the Belfast Telegraph that there should be a \u201cno AI\u201d policy, claiming it is \u201cunethical\u201d to use the technology at all. <\/p>\n \u201cThere was an idea there that Sheridan had, and rather than using the skill and creativity of photography, he opted to use AI. It\u2019s a shame because this has become the story about it,\u201d says Belfast-based photographer Brendan Harkin. <\/p>\n Belfast Exposed has defended its decision to host Sheridan\u2019s work, saying that the gallery has a \u201clong-standing partnership with Ulster University to present the annual MFA Photography exhibition, providing emerging artists with the opportunity to exhibit their work in a professional gallery setting.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cOur role is to provide a platform for contemporary photography, critical thinking and creative dialogue, while supporting the next generation of photographic talent,\u201d it adds. <\/p>\n Affiliate Disclosure PetaPixel articles may include affiliate links; we may earn a commission if you buy through one. <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Jonny-Sheridan-800x800.jpg\")
Jonny Sheridan<\/p>\n