AI Artwork Painted by Robot Artist Sells for Shocking Amount at Historic Auction

A piece of AI artwork sold for more than a million dollars in a historic auction sale that far exceeded expectations.

The AI-generated painting of Alan Turing, created by the humanoid robot Ai-Da, sold for an impressive $1,084,800 (£836,667) at a Sotheby's auction, significantly surpassing its estimated value of $120,000-$180,000.

The digital artwork, titled A.I. God, marks the first-ever auction sale of an artwork by a humanoid robot, which Sotheby's said "launches a new frontier in the global art market," BBC reported.

AI Artwork Painted by Robot Artist Sells for Shocking Amount

The large-scale portrait depicts Turing, a pioneer in computer science and artificial intelligence who was instrumental in breaking Nazi codes during World War II.

"This auction is an important moment for the visual arts, where Ai-Da's artwork brings focus on artworld and societal changes, as we grapple with the rising age of AI," Ai-da's creator, Aidan Meller said. "'AI God' raises questions about agency, as AI gains more power.

The piece "invites viewers to reflect on the god-like nature of AI and computing while considering the ethical and societal implications of these advancements," according to Ai-da, who is equipped with an advanced AI language model.

"The key value of my work is its capacity to serve as a catalyst for dialogue about emerging technologies," she added.