This is a great first on the art market. A painting created by a humanoid robot was sold at auction and it shattered estimates. The work, entitled “AI God”, created by Ai-Da, the world’s first ultra-realistic robot “artist”, was sold for $1.32 million at an auction online by the auction house Sotheby’s.
“The record sale price achieved today for the first work of art by a humanoid robot artist to be auctioned marks a milestone in the history of modern and contemporary art and reflects the growing intersection between the technology of artificial intelligence and the global art market,” commented the auction house.
Cameras in his eyes and bionic hands
According to the robot, which speaks through AI, “the fundamental value of (its) work is its ability to serve as a catalyst for dialogue on emerging technologies.” According to Ai-Da, the “portrait of pioneer Alan Turing invites viewers to reflect on the divine nature of AI and computing while considering the ethical and societal implications of these advances.”
The ultra-realistic robot, which takes on the features of a woman with large eyes and a brown wig, is one of the most advanced in the world. It uses AI to create paintings or sculptures and has cameras in its eyes and bionic hands. The robot moves and expresses itself autonomously, without human intervention.
The representation of a man worried about the future uses of AI
Ai-Da is named after Ada Lovelace, considered a computer pioneer, and was designed by Aidan Meller, a specialist in modern and contemporary art. “The greatest artists in history have grappled with their times, and have both celebrated and questioned changes in society,” he said.
Alan Turing, a mathematician and cryptologist during World War II, considered one of the fathers of computing, was concerned about the future uses of AI as early as the 1950s. The “dark tones and broken facets of face” of the mathematician’s portrait seem to suggest “the difficulties that Alan Turing warned us about when it comes to managing AI,” says Aidan Meller.
Ai-Da’s works ask us “where the power of AI will take us, as well as the global race to harness that power,” he added.