Sotheby’s recently sold the first artwork made by a humanoid robot using artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms for $1 million, blasting past its estimate of $120,000 to $180,000.
On November 7, the artwork A.I. God. Portrait of Alan Turing (2024) by the humanoid robot artist Ai-Da sold for $1,084,800 during the auction house’s Digital Art day sale. There were 27 bids for the portrait of mathematician and computer scientist Alan Turing, which was created using Ai-Da Robot’s AI algorithms. The 64-inch by 90-inch mixed media on canvas also had a third-party guarantee.
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“This auction is an important moment for the visual arts, where Ai-Da’s artwork brings focus on artworld and societal changes, as we grapple with the rising age of AI,” U.K.-based art dealer, gallery owner, and robot creator Aidan Meller said in a press statement. “The artwork “AI God” raises questions about agency, as AI gains more power.”
The Ai-Da humanoid robot draws and paints through a combination of cameras in its eyes, AI algorithms and a robotic arm. Photos show the robot depicted as a woman with a black wig styled in a bob, dressed in a t-shirt and denim overalls. The name of the robot is a reference to computer programmer Ada Lovelace.
“There may be limited public record to assess the market for singular works like ‘A.I. God. Portrait of Alan Turing‘ by Ai-Da, but after extensive conversations with prominent collectors at the intersection of art and technology—particularly in the realm of AI—it became clear that demand for this piece is strong,” Sotheby’s vice president and head of digital art Michael Bouhanna said in a previous statement to ARTnews.
A.I. God. Portrait of Alan Turing was exhibited at the AI for Good Global Summit at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland earlier this year in May “as part of a five paneled Polyptych.”
The result for Ai-Da Robot’s artwork made up the majority of the auction’s overall total of $1,485,840. In addition to the portrait of Alan Turing, Sotheby’s digital art sale include 16 works by Refik Anadol, PAK, Xcopy, DesLucrece, and other digital artists. Xcopy’s DOOM Party had the highest estimate of the day sale at $800,000 to $1.5 million, but the work did not sell.