Ai-da, punningly named after mathematician Ada Lovelace, is described by its creators as the "first ultra-realistic humanoid robot artist." The robot has created a series of paintings called "AI God." A portrait of computing pioneer Alan Turing created by Ai-da was estimated to sell at a Sotheby's auction for $120,000 to $180,000 but ended up selling for $1,084,800.
As to the purpose of Ai-da and its art, Aidan Meller, Ai-Da's creative director and project leader, whose previous work was as an art dealer, said on AI for Good:
If Ai-Da Robot does just one important thing, it would be to get us considering the blurring of human/machine relations, and encouraging us to think more carefully and more slowly about the choices we make for our future – Orwell and Huxley's messages still ring relevant and we would do well to take heed.
With this in mind, one wonders if Ai-da's appearance is intentionally disturbing. The robot's blink rate and facial characteristics seem almost but not quite human, the epitome of the Uncanny Valley.
Turing's portrait on canvas was the only "analog" work in the latest digital art auction held by Sotheby's, which created its own secondary market for NFTs earlier this year. DOOM Party by XCOPY, a multipart interactive NFT, was expected to be the top seller, estimated between $800,000 and $1,500,000, but it did not sell.
Previously: How an AI drawing program shook the art world in the 1970s
