A PORTRAIT of British mathematician Alan Turing became the first humanoid robot work to be sold at auction on Thursday, fetching US$1,320,000.

The 2.2m “Artificial Intelligence God” portrait of the world’s first ultra-realistic robot artist “Ai-Da” shattered pre-sale expectations of US$180,000 when it went under the hammer at London auction house Sotheby’s Digital Art Sale.

“Today’s record-breaking sale price for the first artwork by a humanoid robot artist to come to auction marks a chapter in the history of modern and contemporary art and reflects the growing intersection between artificial intelligence technology and the global art market,” the auction said. house.

Ai-Da Robot, which uses artificial intelligence to talk, said: “The core value of my work is its capacity to act as a catalyst for dialogue about emerging technologies.”

Ai-Da added: “A portrait of pioneer Alan Turing invites viewers to reflect on the divine nature of artificial intelligence and computing, considering the ethical and societal implications of these developments.”

The ultra-realistic robot, one of the world’s most advanced robots, is designed to resemble a human woman with its face, large eyes and brown wig.

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Ai-Da is named after Ada Lovelace, the world’s first computer programmer, and was designed by modern and contemporary art expert Aidan Meller.

“History’s greatest artists grappled with their times and both celebrated and questioned society’s changes,” Meller said.

“Technologically speaking, Ai-Da Robot is the perfect artist today to discuss current developments in technology and its emerging legacy,” he added.

Ai-Da generates ideas through conversations with studio members, and suggested the creation of an image of Turing during the “for the good of AI” discussion.

The robot was then asked what style, colour, content, tone and texture it should use before looking at a painting of Turing and using the cameras in its eyes to create the painting.

Meller led the team that created Ai-Da, along with artificial intelligence experts at the universities of Oxford and Birmingham in England.

Turing, who made his name as a code breaker, mathematician and first computer scientist in World War II, expressed concerns about the use of artificial intelligence in the 1950s, Meller said.

He said the artwork’s “soft tones and broken facial planes” seemingly bring to mind “the struggles Turing warned we would face when it comes to managing artificial intelligence.”

He added that Ai-Da’s work is “ethereal and unforgettable” and “continues to question where the power of artificial intelligence will take us and the global race to harness its power.” AFP