The first humanoid robot artwork sells for over $1.0 million

A portrait of English mathematician Alan Turing became the first work of art of a humanoid robot to sell for more than $1.0 million at auction on Thursday.

The 2.2-meter (7.5-foot) portrait “AI God” by “Ai-Da,” the world's first ultra-realistic robot artist, sold for $1,084,800, surpassing pre-sale expectations of $180,000 at the auction Auction house Sotheby's Digital Art Sale.

“Today’s record-breaking sale price for the first artwork by a humanoid robot artist to come to auction marks a moment in the history of modern and contemporary art and reflects the growing intersection between AI technology and the global art market,” the auction house said .

Ai-Da Robot, which uses AI to talk, said: “The key value of my work is its ability to serve as a catalyst for dialogue about new technologies.”

Ai-Da added that a “portrait of pioneer Alan Turing invites viewers to reflect on the godlike nature of AI and computers while considering the ethical and societal implications of these advances.”

The ultra-realistic robot, one of the most advanced in the world, resembles a human woman with a face, large eyes and a brown wig.

Ai-Da is named after Ada Lovelace, the world's first female computer programmer, and was developed by Aidan Meller, a specialist in modern and contemporary art.

“The greatest artists in history dealt with their time and celebrated and questioned the changes in society,” said Meller.

“As a technology, Ai-Da Robot is the perfect artist today to discuss the current developments in technology and its unfolding legacy,” he added.

Ai-Da generates ideas through conversations with members of the studio and suggested creating an image of Turing during a discussion about AI Forever.

The robot was then asked what style, color, content, tone and texture it should use before looking at an image of Turing with cameras in its eyes and creating the painting.

Meller led the team that developed Ai-Da with artificial intelligence specialists at the universities of Oxford and Birmingham in England.

Turing, who made a name for himself as a codebreaker, mathematician and early computer scientist during World War II, expressed concerns about the use of AI in the 1950s, he added.

The artwork's “muted tones and broken facial features” apparently hinted at “the difficulties that Turing warned we would face in managing AI,” he said.

Ai-Da's works are “ethereal and haunting” and “continue to question where the power of AI will take us and the global race to harness its power,” he added.

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