A Vatican-commissioned art triennale is bringing together more than 100 artists across seven exhibitions to explore empathy and human creativity against the backdrop of AI. The project turns a familiar question about what machines can make into a broader argument about what people bring to art.
Watch Desk analysis
What happened
The Catholic Universities Art Triennale, or ArtCut, is holding exhibitions at seven Catholic universities across Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Italy, Portugal, Angola and the United States. Hyperallergic reports that the inaugural edition, titled Exercises in Empathy, includes artists such as Arthur Jafa, Jeremy Frey and Mona Hatoum.
The exhibitions respond to Pope Leo XIV’s argument that AI systems lack the affective, relational and spiritual perspective needed to create art. The Hyperallergic report describes the triennale’s emphasis on empathy and self-reflection, rather than technological advancement.
Why it matters
This is not a technical test of whether an AI model can make an image. It is a cultural response to the larger claim that art’s value rests on more than the finished object: human experience, relationships and judgement matter too. Putting that argument into seven exhibitions gives it a public setting beyond the usual tech conference panel, where the refreshments are often asked to carry quite a lot.
Our read
ArtCut makes a strong case for looking at AI through culture as well as capability. The exhibitions do not settle what AI can or cannot create, but they make the human side of that debate visible and discussable. The interesting question is whether the work itself complicates the argument, or mainly illustrates a position already set out by the organisers.
What to watch
- How the seven exhibitions interpret empathy and human creativity in their different settings.
- Whether the artists engage with AI directly or use it chiefly as a point of contrast.
- What visitors take away from a debate that is usually conducted in claims about models and machines.
Discussion spark: Should art made with AI be judged mainly by the finished work, or by the human experience and relationships behind its creation?
Sources and evidence
- Source update (28 October 2026, 15:45 UTC)
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