Tech

Robot Debuts AI Slop at Sotheby’s, Asking for $120,000

Humanoid robot artist Ai-Da’s portrait of Alan Turing is heading to Sotheby’s, making it the first physical robot-created artwork to be auctioned at this level.

ai-da humanoid robot sothebys
Ai-Da

We already know artificial intelligence can make controversial artwork and take our jobs. Now it’s taking up space in Sotheby’s auctions, thanks to a humanoid robot artist named Ai-Da.

Ai-Da, created in 2019 by UK-based art dealer and gallery owner Aidan Meller, draws and paints with a robotic arm, various algorithms, and cameras in its eyes. It contributed a physical mixed-media piece to Sotheby’s upcoming “Digital Art Day” auction, where the auctioneer hopes to find a buyer in the $120,000 to $180,000 range. 

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The work is a portrait of British mathematician Alan Turing. Turing famously devised the “the Turing test,” which evaluates a machine’s ability to exhibit intelligent behavior by seeing if it can fool human judges into believing they’re talking with another human in a text-based conversation. Basically, he’s like a god to these robots—hence the name of the artwork, A.I. God, a Portrait of Alan Turing.

‘A.I. God, a Portrait of Alan Turing’ courtesy ai-da.

Signed by “A,” the mixed-media painting is 64 x 90.5 inches.

Meller, the bot’s owner, hyped up the piece to CBS MoneyWatch: “What makes this work of art different from other AI-generated works is that with Ai-Da there is a physical manifestation, and this is the first time a work from a robot of this type has ever come to auction.”

“There is a lot of innovation happening—a huge number of robots are coming forward—and they will eventually do all sorts of different tasks,” Meller continued. “Art is a way of discussing the incredible changes in society that are happening because of technology.”

Brave new frontier or just more AI slop? I’ll let you decide.

“Ai-Da’s portrait joins a selection of cutting-edge works that—in their individual ways—push the boundaries of artistic creation today,” said Michael Bouhanna, Sotheby’s Head of NFT and digital art. “Together, they prompt a discussion of how we can appreciate and experience the ever-evolving possibilities around artmaking in the 21st century.”

The auction opens on Halloween. Pretty fitting if you ask me.