By Ninian Carter
Ai-Da, one of the most advanced humanoid robots in the world, is set to make history when its portrait painting of Alan Turing, entitled “AI God” goes to auction at Sotheby’s in London, where it’s expected to fetch between £100,000 and £150,000 (R2.3m and R3.4m).
The robot, created by UK art gallery owner Aidan Meller, was completed in 2019, and uses artificial intelligence (AI) to make drawings, paintings and sculptures using its camera eyes and robotic arms.
It is named after Ada Lovelace (1815-1852), the English mathematician and writer chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage’s proposed mechanical general-purpose computer – the Analytical Engine.
According to auctioneers Sotheby’s, the painting of Turing – the World War II codebreaker regarded as the father of modern computer science — stands at an imposing 2.3 metres tall and is rendered in mixed media on canvas.
Meller describes Ai-Da's works as “ethereal and haunting” and that they “continue to question where the power of AI will take us, and the global race to harness its power”.
Sotheby’s Digital Art Sale runs from October 31 to November 7, 2024.