A portrait of the English mathematician Alan Turing was sold on Thursday for $1.08 million (940,000 francs), becoming the first work of art created by a humanoid robot sold at auction, Sotheby’s announced.
The work, entitled “AI God”, created by “Ai-Da”, the world’s first ultra-realistic “artist” robot, shattered forecasts (a range between 120 and 180,000 dollars) during an online sale by the auction house.
“The record sale price reached today marks a milestone in the history of modern and contemporary art and reflects the growing intersection between artificial intelligence technology and the global art market,” said the auction house.
“The core value of my work is its ability to serve as a catalyst for dialogue on emerging technologies,” said the robot, which speaks through AI.
According to Ai-Da, the “portrait of pioneer Alan Turing invites viewers to reflect on the divine nature of AI and computing while considering the ethical and societal implications of these advances.” The ultra-realistic robot resembles a woman with big eyes and a brown wig, and is one of the most advanced in the world.
Ai-Da is named after Ada Lovelace, considered a computer pioneer, and was designed by Aidan Meller, a specialist in modern and contemporary art. This robot, which uses AI to create paintings or sculptures, has cameras in its eyes and bionic hands. It moves and expresses itself autonomously, without human intervention.
“The greatest artists in history have grappled with their times, and have both celebrated and questioned changes in society,” said Aidan Meller.
Alan Turing, a mathematician and cryptologist during the Second World War, considered one of the fathers of computing, had been concerned about the future uses of AI since the 1950s.
The “dark tones and broken facets of the face” of the mathematician’s portrait seem to suggest “the difficulties that Alan Turing warned us about when it comes to managing AI,” noted Aidan Meller.
Ai-Da’s works question us about “where the power of AI will take us, as well as the global race to harness that power,” he added.
