A painting by Ai-Da Robot, a humanoid robot powered using artificial intelligence (AI), sold for more than $1m (including auction house fees) at Sotheby’s New York on Thursday (7 November). The painting is the most valuable artwork ever sold by a robot artist, according to the auction house, driven up by 27 bids.
The painting A.I. God. Portrait of Alan Turing (2024) depicts Alan Turing, the English mathematician and Second World War cryptanalyst who is remembered as a pioneer of AI and computer science. The work was displayed earlier this year at a United Nations global summit on AI in Geneva.
It’s the latest example of rich technologists making a mockery of the human estate. Every piece of our humanity they touch turns to gold for them and ashes for everyone else.