Robot artist Ai-Da to make history as portrait of Alan Turing goes to auction

Ai-Da Robot will make history as the first humanoid robotic artist to have their artwork auctioned by a major auction house.

Created by a team led by Aiden Meller, Ai-Da is an ultra-realistic robot designed to look like a human female which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to create drawings, paintings, and sculptures.

The painting of Alan Turing, regarded as the father of modern computer science, is expected to sell for £100,000 to £150,000 when it is presented at Sotheby’s October digital art sale.

Titled AI God, the large-scale portrait stands at 7.5 feet tall and was created using AI algorithms. The robot has cameras in its eyes and bionic hands.

Ai-Da with the Alan Turing portrait PA Media

The painting was first exhibited at the United Nations in May 2024 as part of a five-panelled polyptych.

Sotheby’s upcoming sale will explore the intersection between art and technology, presenting an array of digital art forms that reflect various movements within the contemporary digital art landscape.

The auction house said it will also pay tribute to pioneering women artists who have contributed to the evolution of digital art.

Ai-Da Robot, who uses an advanced AI language model to speak, said: “Through my artwork of Alan Turing, I commemorate his achievements and contributions to the development of computing and AI.

“My artwork aligns with the United Nations ethos that AI is used responsibly – something Alan Turing also advocated.”

Meller, director of the Ai-Da Robot studio, added: “In the 1950s, Alan Turing raised concerns over the use of AI.

“Ai-Da’s portrait hauntingly evokes Alan Turing, using muted tones and broken facial planes, and a background with shadowy forms of the Bombe machine.

“The artwork seemingly suggests the struggles Turing warned we will face when it comes to managing AI.

“Both ethereal and haunting, Ai-Da Robot’s artworks continue to question where the power of AI will take us, and the global race to harness its power.”

In 2022, Ai-Da painted portraits of the acts headlining Glastonbury Festival: Billie Eilish, Diana Ross, Kendrick Lamar and Sir Paul McCartney.

The same year, the robot painted a portrait of the Queen ahead of the Platinum Jubilee and became the first AI-powered robot to give evidence to a parliamentary committee discussing the impact of technology on the creative industries.

Sotheby’s Digital Art Sale will run from October 16 to October 29.