A robot-created painting sold for more than $1,000,000 at auction

An unusual event has occurred in the art world — a painting created by a humanoid robot has found its owner for $1,084,800.

Titled “AI God,” the work depicts mathematician and cryptographer Alan Turing. Its creator is the remarkable artist Ai-Da, reputed to be the world’s first “hyper-realistic robot artist.”

The bidding at Sotheby's auction house in New York was intense. According to The Art Newspaper, collectors were willing to spend liberally — it took 27 rounds of bidding before the painting found a new owner.

Ai-Da's alan turing painting makes history as first work sold by humanoid robot at @Sothebyshttps://t.co/GpVYt5tiBgpic.twitter.com/3KyqTXIVqJ

— designboom (@designboom) November 8, 2024

How is it possible for a robot to paint? According to Ai-Da’s website, the robot "sees" objects through cameras in its eyes, processes the images using artificial intelligence algorithms, and brings its ideas to life with a robotic arm. The mastermind behind this technical marvel is Aidan Meller, a contemporary art expert who aimed to spark a discussion on how technology is transforming our lives. It remains unclear who will benefit from the sale of “AI God” — Ai-Da or Meller.

"Today's record sale of the first work by a robot artist is not just another auction. This moment will go down in history for contemporary art and illustrates how artificial intelligence is impacting the global art market," emphasized representatives from Sotheby's.

Interestingly, the painting has already made its way to prestigious venues — it was exhibited at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva during the “AI for Good” summit. There, “AI God” was part of a five-piece polyptych.

Source: Gizmodo