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A piece of artwork depicting Alan Turing, which was created by an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered robot, has sold at a Sotheby’s auction for over a million dollars.
This greatly exceeds the auction house’s expectations of $120,000 – $180,000 for the piece, which received 27 bids before being won for $1,084,800 (£836,667).
The painting, which is 64 by 90 inches, was created by Ai-Da, a humanoid, artificially intelligent, robot artist. This marks the first time a humanoid robot has seen a piece of artwork be sold at auction.
According to Sotheby’s, this historic sale “launches a new frontier in the global art market, establishing the auction benchmark for an artwork by a humanoid robot”, reports the BBC. The sale “marks a moment in the history of modern and contemporary art and reflects the growing intersection between A.I. technology and the global art market”.
The artwork, titled “AI God”, depicts Alan Turing, a World War 2 British codebreaker who was instrumental in deciphering the Enigma Machine at the UK’s Bletchley Park.
The robot’s creator, Aidan Meller, said in a statement to the press: “This auction is an important moment for the visual arts, where Ai-Da’s artwork brings focus on artworld and societal changes, as we grapple with the rising age of AI. The artwork “AI God” raises questions about agency, as AI gains more power.”
Who is Ai-Da, the robot artist?
Ai-Da is the world’s first ultra-realistic robot artist. She is self-aware regarding her robotic nature and has claimed to use this to inform her artwork.
The robot uses a range of sophisticated techniques to create her art pieces. Cameras in the robot’s ‘eyes’ along with a robotic arm create the mechanical functionality required to put brush to canvas, and AI algorithms do the ‘creative’ part and allow the robot to speak.
She had this to say about the AI artwork: “The key value of my work is its capacity to serve as a catalyst for dialogue about emerging technologies. [The painting] invites viewers to reflect on the god-like nature of AI and computing while considering the ethical and societal implications of these advancements. Alan Turing recognized this potential, and stares at us, as we race towards this future.”
Featured image credit: Ai-Da Robot Studios
