Painting of 'AI God' by humanoid robot expected to fetch $180,000 in a bizarre first
Everyone knows that art is subjective, but in a world of artificial intelligence spewing out Picassos not done by the man himself (he died in 1973), the line between genuine masterpieces and regurgitated pixels is becoming a hard one to define.
Modern art will always have its naysayers when compared to the classics, but doesn't it only feel like yesterday that Banksy was stencilling rats on walls or infiltrating auctions with shredders that actually increase a piece's value.
With artists among those who are most afraid they'll be put out of work by AI, it's not going to help that robots are already finding their own place in the auction room.
When real people put hours of blood, sweat, and tears into their artwork, there are sure to be grumbles that AI pieces created by robots could soon be fetching a pretty penny.
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Sotheby's has just announced its sale of a controversial piece, with a humanoid robot creating an image of 'AI God'.
We somehow don't see this one being painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
The famed auction house is selling work from the robot known Ai-Da, which has created a likeness of the legendary Alan Turing. Alongside his codebreaking helping put an end to World War II, Turing is remembered as the 'father of modern computing'. He created the Turing Test, which is also known as the Imitation Game, and established the philosophical principles behind AI.
With this in mind, it might explain why Ai-Da's piece is titled, "A.I. God, a Portrait of Alan Turing" and towers at over seven feet tall. Still, Sothetby's thinks it could make a jaw-dropping $180,000.
If it get anywhere near that sum, it could keep Ai-Da in WD-40 for life.
Fitted with cameras for eyes and a sophisticated internal language model, the AI-powered Ai-Da can communicate with humans and compose poems. It's also a bit of a dab hand with a paintbrush.
Discussing "AI God", Ai-Da explained: "Through my artwork of Alan Turing, I commemorate his achievements and contributions to the development of computing and AI."
The piece comes in the aftermath of the whole NFT trend seeming to die down. There's still a lot of interest in this medium, with Michael Bouhanna, Sotheby’s Head of NFT & digital art, telling CBS MoneyWatch: "Ai-Da’s portrait joins a selection of cutting-edge works that — in their individual ways — push the boundaries of artistic creation today.
"Together, they prompt a discussion of how we can appreciate and experience the ever-evolving possibilities around artmaking in the 21st century."
Ai-Da is designed to be a performance artist, and with its bob haircut and overalls, it wouldn't look out of place at your average art show.
British gallerist Aidan Meller is the man behind Ai-Da, creating it in conjunction with Engineered Arts and the University of Oxford. You might know that Engineered Arts is the company responsible Ameca, the world's most advanced humanoid robot. Ai-Da's artwork has previously been featured at the likes of the United Nations, but now, the Turing piece will be included The Digital Art Day Auction, being held in New York City on October 31, 2024.