SCIENCE & TECH: First art piece painted by humanoid robot sells at auction for a whopping $1 million

Sold!

The first art piece painted by humanoid robot — which was expected to fetch up to $180,000 — shocked the crowd when it sold for a whopping $1.08 million.

Sotheby’s, the famed auction house, sold the painting in New York on Thursday after 27 bids were placed on the work.

“Today’s record-breaking sale price for the first artwork by a humanoid robot artist to go up for auction 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 house said in a statement.

The robot, known as Ai-Da, created the painting of renowned mathematician and computer scientist Alan Turing entitled “AI God” with its own hydraulically powered hands.

“The key value of my work is its capacity to serve as a catalyst for dialogue about emerging technologies,” Ai-Da, which uses AI to speak, said.

The robot added that 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.”

Turing raised concerns about the use of AI as far back as the 1950s.

Ai-Da is the brainchild of British gallerist Aidan Meller, who created the bot in 2019 in conjunction with Engineered Arts and the University of Oxford.

Its artwork has been featured at places such as the United Nations and the Chelsea Factory — and Ai-Da has given speeches at 10 Downing Street, the House of Lords, and the Founders Forum.