First robot-created artwork sells for $1.32 million

A portrait of British mathematician Alan Turing has become the first work of art created by a robot to be sold at auction, selling for $1.32 million on November 7.

A 2.2-meter-tall portrait called "AI God" created by Ai-Da, the world's first hyperrealistic robot artist , has far surpassed its initial estimate of $180,000 at Sotheby's Digital Art auction in London.

Ai-Da robot next to the picture she created. (Photo: ai-darobot.com).

The record price marks a milestone in the history of modern and contemporary art, and reflects the increasingly deep intersection between artificial intelligence (AI) technology and the global art market, said Sotheby's.

Ai-Da, a robot that uses AI to communicate, shared that the core value of the work is its ability to promote dialogue about emerging technologies. Ai-Da added that the portrait of Alan Turing makes viewers reflect on the divine nature of AI and computing, and consider the ethical and social implications of these advances.

This hyper-realistic robot is one of the most advanced robots in the world, designed to resemble a woman's face, with large eyes and a brown wig. Ai-Da is named after Ada Lovelace - the world's first female computer programmer. Ai-Da is the creation of Aidan Meller, an expert in modern and contemporary art.

Mr. Meller notes that great artists throughout history have always been concerned with their times, both celebrating and questioning social change. As a technology, the Ai-Da robot is the perfect artist to discuss current technological developments and the legacy that is being created.

Ai-Da came up with the idea through conversations with her collaborators and suggested creating an image of Turing during a discussion on 'AI for Good.' The robot was then asked about the style, color, content, tone, and texture it should use, and used a camera in its eye to look at an image of Turing and create the painting.

Meller, who led the team that created Ai-Da with AI experts from the universities of Oxford and Birmingham in the UK, said that mathematician Turing had expressed concerns about the use of AI as early as the 1950s.

The muted tones and fragmented faces in the work seem to hint at the challenges Turing warned us we would face in managing AI, according to Meller. Ai-Da's work is 'surreal and haunting,' he added , continuing to question where the power of AI will take us.