Ai-Da Robot makes history as humanoid’s artwork sells at auction

A portrait of Alan Turing created by a robot has been auctioned for more than £800,000 and made history in the process.

Ai-Da Robot, named after Ada Lovelace, who is considered to be the first computer programmer, has become the first humanoid robotic artist to have their artwork sold by a major auction house.

Created by a team led by Aidan Meller, Ai-Da is an ultra-realistic robot designed to look like a human female, which has cameras in its eyes and uses artificial intelligence (AI) to create drawings, painting, and sculptures.

Estimated to sell for between £100,000 to £150,000, the artwork, AI God, far surpassed its predicted selling price when it was bought for 1.08 million dollars (£835,500) on Thursday.

The large-scale portrait, which stands 7.5 feet tall and was created using AI algorithms, depicts Turing, who is regarded as the father of modern computer science.

For AI God, Ai-Da chose three of the 15 portraits she had made of Turing, with a painting she had made of his bombe machine, which were then photographed and uploaded on to a computer where the final image was assembled based on a discussion with Ai-Da, using her language model, about what she wanted the final artwork to look like.

The final image was printed using a 3D textured printer, with Ai-Da adding marks and texture on to the final canvas to complete the artwork.

The positioning and colour of these marks was decided by Ai-Da based on a

Studio assistants also added texture on to the artwork as Ai-Da’s robotic painting arm is unable to stretch to a large-scale canvas.

Ai-Da Robot said: “The key value of my work is its capacity to serve as a catalyst for dialogue about emerging technologies.

“AI God, a portrait of pioneer Alan Turing, invites viewers to reflect on the god-like nature of AI and computing while considering the ethical and societal implications of these advancements.

“Alan Turing recognised this potential, and stares at us, as we race towards this future.”

Mr Meller, director of the Ai-Da Robot Studios, added: “This auction is an important moment for the visual arts, where Ai-Da’s artwork brings focus on artworld and societal changes, as we grapple with the rising age of AI. The artwork AI God raises questions about agency, as AI gains more power.”

In 2022, Ai-Da painted portraits of the acts headlining Glastonbury Festival: Billie Eilish, Diana Ross, Kendrick Lamar and Sir Paul McCartney.

The same year the robot painted a portrait of the Queen ahead of the platinum jubilee and became the first AI-powered robot to give evidence to a parliamentary committee which discussed the impact of technology on the creative industries.

The sale will be discussed at The Courtauld Institute in London on Thursday November 14 when Ai-Da will be interviewed as part of an evening event titled Tomorrow’s Art? With Ai-Da Robot.

The portrait was part of Sotheby’s Digital Art Sale which closed at 7pm on Thursday.