Artificial intelligence continues to test the limits of creativity, commerce, and control

An anonymous artist managed to hang an AI-generated print inside the National Museum Cardiff without the institution’s knowledge, prompting debate over authenticity and curation in the digital age. The piece, Empty Plate, by the pseudonymous Elias Marrow, depicts a schoolboy holding an empty plate and was viewed by hundreds before staff realised it was not part of the official exhibition. Marrow said the intervention questioned “how public institutions decide what’s worth showing”. The artist, who used AI tools to refine an initial hand-drawn sketch, argued that AI represents a “natural evolution” of artistic practice. The incident has reignited discussion about the role of machine-made art in traditional spaces and the challenge museums face in distinguishing between human & algorithmic creation.