# Environmental Aesthetics of Generative AI BSA Mar 3 2025 **Abstract:** Drawing on Carlson's environmental aesthetics, I argue that generative AI systems (ChatGPT, Midjourney etc.) can be thought of as types of environment, and prompting as similar to gardening. This allows for a novel way of thinking about how AI art can be aesthetically appreciated. First, I examine Carlson's Natural Environmental Model, which recommends appreciating nature as "what it in fact is" and understanding it through relevant knowledge. I connect this to Spinoza's concepts of natura naturans and natura naturata, then introduce the parallel notions of machina naturans and machina naturata, characterising AI systems as environments that actively generate outputs from encoded patterns of human creations. I go on to suggest that the relationship between prompters and AI systems mirrors that of gardeners with nature. Prompters, like gardeners who redirect a plant's growth potential, guide AI systems towards specific outputs rather than creating ex nihilo. Through iterative interaction, prompters develop practical knowledge by observing how prompt adjustments affect results. This practical understanding places prompters in direct contact with machina naturans, allowing them to appreciate how AI art emerges from generative processes. Carlson's concept of unity further illuminates AI art appreciation. Just as understanding the unity between natural processes and resulting forms enhances environmental appreciation, recognising the connection between AI's generative process and