The portrait, titled “AI God,” is a 2.2-metre-tall depiction of Alan Turing, the renowned mathematician and early computing pioneer. The work is expected to fetch between £100,000 and £150,000 ($130,000 to $196,000) at the auction set to take place online from October 31 to November 7.
The ultra-realistic robot, designed to look like a human female with expressive eyes and bionic hands, was developed by gallery owner Aidan Meller in collaboration with AI specialists from the universities of Oxford and Birmingham. Using AI algorithms and cameras in its eyes, Ai-Da captures images to create her ethereal and haunting works of art.
The sale of “AI God” explores the intersection of art and technology, a theme Sotheby’s is keen to highlight. According to Meller, the muted tones and fractured planes of Turing’s portrait suggest the struggles he foresaw in the rise of AI, decades before the technology existed. Turing, a World War II codebreaker, raised early concerns about AI’s potential impact on society in the 1950s.
This auction isn’t Ai-Da’s first venture into the art world. In 2022, the robot created portraits of Glastonbury headliners such as Billie Eilish and Paul McCartney, solidifying her reputation as a digital artist with a message.
