Sotheby’s to auction its first artwork made by a humanoid robot

Sotheby’s later this month hopes to make the auction house’s first ever sale of an artwork made by a humanoid robot. 

Ai-Da, a humanoid robot artist, is contributing «AI God,» a portrait of Alain Turing, the mathematician and computer scientist considered to be the progenitor of modern computing, to what Sotheby’s calls a «digital art day» auction. Turing is also credited with providing some of the earliest insights into what is now referred to as «artificial intelligence.» 

The 64 x 90.5 inch mixed-media painting, which was created this year and is signed «A» by Ai-Da, is estimated to fetch between $120,000 and $180,000, according to a listing on Sotheby’s website. The auction opens on Oct. 31. 

The Ai-Da robot, who is depicted as female, is a project created by U.K.-based art dealer and gallery owner Aidan Meller. The robot can draw and paint using cameras in her eyes, AI algorithms and a robotic arm.

A robotic first

«What makes this work of art different from other AI-generated works is that with Ai-Da there is a physical manifestation, and this is the first time a work from a robot of this type has ever come to auction,» Meller told CBS MoneyWatch. 

The auction also highlights the advent of AI in society, he added.

«There is a lot of innovation happening — a huge number of robots are coming forward — and they will eventually do all sorts of different tasks. Art is a way of discussing the incredible changes in society that are happening because of technology,» Meller said. 

Meller said the proceeds from the sale will be reinvested in the Ai-Da project, which is costly to power.

«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,» Michael Bouhanna, Sotheby’s Head of NFT and digital art, said in a statement.

Even in the notoriously opaque and fickle art market, however, valuing AI-generated works could be a challenge, and more difficult than determining the market worth of works by human artists.