The first work created by an A.I. robot to arrive at auction has sold for $1.08 million as part of Sotheby’s Digital Art Sale.
The painting of the British mathematician and early computer developer Alan Turing was painted by Ai-Da Robot, which has been branded the world’s first ultra-realistic robot artist by Aidan Meller, the British gallerist who spawned the idea in 2019.
Somewhat provocatively titled A.I. God (2024), the work originally appeared as part of a triptych at a United Nations Global Summit that focused on the positive aspects of A.I. After the subject was selected, Ai-Da chose the style, color, and tone of the paintings, alongside members of Meller’s studio. It completed the paintings by looking at a picture of Turing—she has cameras in her eyes—as she worked.
According to Ai-Da (which uses A.I. to speak, duh), the works of Turing are intended to encourage viewers to “reflect on the god-like nature of A.I. and computing.” This, in turn, should provoke discussions about the ethical and societal implications of A.I.
Ai-Da, A.I. God (2024). Photo: courtesy Sotheby’s.
What the fragmented and pasty face of Turing did provoke was concerted bidding with the painting easily surpassing its upper estimate of $180,000 after 27 bids.
In a statement, Sotheby’s has labelled the sale by the humanoid robot a historic moment in the contemporary art one that “reflects the growing intersection between A.I. technology and the global art market.” Whether or not future works by A.I. avatars, or indeed by Ai-Da herself, will command market demand remains unclear.
Elsewhere, Sotheby’s Digital Art Sale, which concluded on November 7, saw a lukewarm reception. Although it included works by some of the leading names in digital art, sales totaled just under $1.3 million.
Notably, DOOM Party (2020) by gif artist XCOPY with an upper estimate of $1.5 million and Sui Generis (2020) by the minimalist artist Pak with an upper estimate of $150,000 remained unsold. Five of the remaining 15 lots that sold fell beneath their pre-sale low estimates with Refik Anadol’s Winds of Yawanawa #715 scraping past its low estimate of $15,000.
The successful sale of A.I. God is the latest in a series of high-profile achievements for Ai-Da. In the past five years, she has stood by the Great Pyramid of Giza, painted the British royal family, featured in a video for the pop band the 1975, spoken to the House of Lords, and confounded crowds at art shows in Venice, London, and New York.
“The key value of my work,” Ai-Da has said, “is its capacity to serve as a catalyst for dialogue.” True to her word, Ai-Da will appear at London’s Courtauld Institute on November 14 to discuss the sale and its significance for art.