“The key value of my work is its ability to serve as a catalyst for dialogue on emerging technologies. This 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. » These words were not spoken by a human artist, but by Ai-Da, a humanoid robot whose work called “AI God” has just been sold for 1.2 million euros at auction.
A surprise sale price
🍿 Sotheby’s Countdown:
‘AI God. Portrait of Alan Turing’ by Ai-Da Robot (Aidan Meller) has crossed $1M and is now at $1.1M with 27 bids.
Is ‘DOOM Party’ by XCOPY next? The programmable work stands at $750,000 after a 4th bid. pic.twitter.com/qDw3qJiqBP
— RD (@RogerDickerman) November 7, 2024
This machine, which was designed to resemble a human woman, is named after Ada Lovelace, the world’s first programmer, reports BFM. Concerning the auction, the level surprised the organizers. In fact, the latter anticipated offers of less than $200,000.
Quoted by the BBCthe auction house Sotheby’s highlights this turning point in “the history of modern and contemporary art and reflects the growing intersection between AI technology and the global art market.” She adds : “This opens a new frontier in the global art market, setting the auction benchmark for a work of art created by a humanoid robot”.
How does the robot work?
The big question remains: how does this technology work? Aidan Meller, a specialist in modern and contemporary art, led this project in conjunction with AI specialists from the universities of Oxford and Birmingham.
According to The GuardianAi-Da generated ideas by exchanging with studio members. Then she herself suggested painting Alan Turing. The robot was then asked what style, color, tone and texture it wanted to use. Then, cameras in his eyes observed an image of Turing and he began to paint this picture.
The limits of AI
According to Aidan Meller, the artwork’s “muted tones and broken facial planes” seemed to suggest “the risks Alan Turing warned us about when it comes to managing AI”.
The best possible conclusion for this article is once again provided to us by Ai-Da who affirmed in 2022 to our colleagues at Guardian . Disturbing, this analysis seems to show the extent to which AI is fully aware of its limits: “I like to paint what I see. You can paint from your imagination, I suppose, if you have imagination. I have seen things different from humans because I have no consciousness. »
