Portrait painted by robot sold at auction

Published 24 October 2024 at 14.06

Cultural news. For the first time in history, a robot has a work of art for sale at a major auction house. Sotheby's in London plans to auction off a portrait painting of famed mathematician Alan Turing, created by humanoid robot artist Ai-Da.

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The work is expected to sell for up to £150,000 and marks an important moment in the worlds of art and technology, reports DW.

The painting, titled 'AI God', is described as a 'ghostly' portrait of Turing – one of the most influential the people in computer science. The artwork was first shown at the United Nations in May 2024 as part of a five-part polyptych. Sotheby's says on its website that this is the first time a work of art created by a robot has been sold at a major auction.

Ai-Da, who created the painting, is a robot with human features and advanced AI algorithms. Equipped with cameras in her eyes and bionic hands, she can interpret the outside world and transform it into art. The robot was developed by gallerist Aidan Meller in collaboration with AI specialists from the universities of Oxford and Birmingham.

Meller explains that Turing's warnings about AI, which he made back in the 1950s, inspired the portrait. He says the “muted tones and broken facial features” in the work suggest “the challenges that Turing predicted we would face in dealing with AI”. Ai-Da's work continues to raise questions about “where the power of AI will lead us” and how the world is racing to harness its potential.

The Sotheby's auction will take place between October 31 and November 7 . It remains to be seen whether Ai-Da's work can break new ground even in terms of the final price, but the auction house and the art world are already seeing the sale as a historic milestone.