A portrait of English mathematician Alan Turing became the first work of art of a humanoid robot to be sold at auction, fetching more than $1.0 million on Thursday.

The 7-foot-tall “AI God” portrait of “Ai-Da,” the world’s first ultra-realistic robot artist, fetched $1,084,800, surpassing pre-sale expectations of $180,000 at auction house Sotheby’s Digital Art Sale.

“Today’s record-breaking sale price for the first artwork by a humanoid robot artist to be auctioned marks a moment in the history of modern and contemporary art and reflects the growing intersection between AI technology and the global art market,” the auction said. house.

Ai-Da Robot, which uses AI to speak, said: “The main value of my work is its ability to serve as a catalyst for dialogue on emerging technologies.”

Ai-Da added that a “portrait of pioneer Alan Turing invites viewers to reflect on the divine nature of AI and computing while considering the ethical and societal implications of these advances.”

The ultra-realistic robot, one of the most advanced in the world, is designed to resemble a human woman with a face, large eyes and a brown wig.

Ai-Da is named after Ada Lovelace, the world’s first computer programmer, and was created by Aidan Meller, a specialist in modern and contemporary art.

“History’s greatest artists grappled with their time period and celebrated and questioned social changes,” said Meller.

“Ai-Da Robot as a technology today is the perfect artist to discuss current developments in technology and its unfolding legacy,” he added.

Ai-Da generates ideas through conversations with members of the studio and suggested creating an image of Turing during a discussion on “AI for good”.

The robot was then asked what style, color, content, tone and texture to use, before using cameras in its eyes to look at a photo of Turing and create the painting.

Meller led the team that created Ai-Da with artificial intelligence specialists at the universities of Oxford and Birmingham in England.

Turing, who made his name as a codebreaker, mathematician and early World War II computer scientist, had raised concerns about the use of AI in the 1950s, he added.

The artwork’s “muted tones and broken facial surfaces” seemingly suggested “the problems Turing warned we will face when it comes to managing AI,” he said.

Ai-Da’s works were “ethereal and haunting” and “continue to question where the power of AI will take us, and the global race to harness its power,” he added.

jwp/phz/gil