Aida Robot StudioA painting of an artificially intelligent robot by famed World War II codebreaker Alan Turing has sold at auction for a record $1.3 million (£1 million).
Sotheby’s said there were 27 bidders for the “AI God” digital art auction, which was initially estimated to sell for between $120,000 (£9,252) and $180,000 (£139,000).
Mathematician Turing is a pioneer of computer science and is known as the father of artificial intelligence (AI).
The auction house said the historic sale “opened new territory in the global art market and set a benchmark for the auction of humanoid robot art.”
It added that Ada Robot’s work is “the first humanoid robot artist to sell art at auction”.
Aida Robot StudioThe work is a large-scale original portrait of Turing, who attended King’s College, Cambridge.
The scientist helped the Allies break codes and crack the infamous Enigma machine at Bletchley Park in World War II, playing a crucial role in the Allies’ victory over Nazi Germany.
After the war, he made detailed designs for what would become a modern digital computer.
Sotheby’s said the online auction, which ended at 19:00 GMT on Thursday, was purchased by an unnamed buyer for a price “well in excess of the artwork’s estimated estimate.”
Aida Robot StudioThe auction house said the auction price for the humanoid artist’s first artwork “marks a moment in the history of modern and contemporary art and reflects the growing intersection between artificial intelligence technology and the global art market”.
“The key value of my work is its ability to be a catalyst for conversations about emerging technologies,” said Aida, which speaks using an advanced artificial intelligence language model.
The work “invites viewers to reflect on the sacred nature of artificial intelligence and computing, while considering the ethical and social implications of these advances,” the robot said.
“Alan Turing recognized this potential and looked at us, and we are racing towards this future.”
Aida Robot StudioAidan Meller, director of Ai-Da Robotics Studio, said: “This auction is an important moment for the visual arts, and Ai-Da’s artworks will make the world a better place as we grapple with the rise of the age of artificial intelligence. People are concerned about the art world and social change.
“As artificial intelligence gains more power, the artwork ‘AI God’ raises questions about agency.”
