We have undeniably entered the age of [AI artists](https://mashable.com/video/ibm-japan-robot-artist) and [AI art museums](https://mashable.com/article/ai-museum-los-angeles-refik-anadol), making it unsurprising that an AI-driven robot has created quite a stir at an art auction. However, we are discussing substantial sums of money.

[Ai-Da](https://mashable.com/video/ai-da-ai-humanoid-robot-artist), a humanoid robot celebrated for her [self-portraits](https://mashable.com/video/ai-da-ai-humanoid-robot-artist) and various other artworks, has achieved the distinction of being the first robot to auction a piece of art. Although this is not the inaugural AI-generated artwork to go under the hammer, Ai-Da’s likeness of Alan Turing, the esteemed mathematician and WWII codebreaker, fetched an impressive $1.08 million at Sotheby’s last Thursday.

The piece, named *AI God*, was featured in Sotheby’s [Digital Art Sale](https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2024/digital-art-day-auction-2) and had an initial estimate of between $120,000 and $180,000. Following 27 bids, an unnamed buyer claimed the artwork. The portrait had earlier been displayed at the [AI for Good Global Summit](https://aiforgood.itu.int/summit24/) at the United Nations in Geneva.

Ai-Da, developed by [Ai-Da Robot Studios](https://www.ai-darobot.com/) under Aidan Meller’s guidance, is outfitted with cameras for eyes, a robotic arm, and an AI language model that enables her to communicate. Meller noted that Ai-Da personally selected Alan Turing as her portrait’s subject after a discussion regarding “AI for good.”

“We engage Ai-Da in conversation using her AI language model to discover what she wishes to paint,” Meller stated in a press release. “In this case, we talked about AI for good, and Ai-Da suggested Alan Turing as a pivotal figure in AI’s history.”

The creation of *AI God* involved Ai-Da examining a photo of Turing and employing her cameras, AI algorithms, and robotic arm to produce initial sketches. She then crafted several paintings of Turing, drawing from iconic pieces such as Pablo Picasso’s *Guernica* and Doris Salcedo’s *Atrabiliarios*, both of which delve into human suffering through fragmented aesthetics. According to [Sotheby’s](https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2024/digital-art-day-auction-2/a-i-god-portrait-of-alan-turing), Ai-Da’s fractured visual language is reminiscent of works by Käthe Kollwitz and Edvard Munch, mirroring the technological and psychological divides present in modern life.

For the final piece, Ai-Da produced numerous ink sketches of Turing, followed by 15 A3-sized paintings using oil and acrylic. Each artwork required six to eight hours to finish. Ai-Da then picked three of these portraits, along with an image of Turing’s Bombe machine, the apparatus employed to crack the Enigma code during WWII. These components were merged into the final work after discussing how Ai-Da envisioned it.

Although Ai-Da’s robotic arm is constrained to A3-sized canvases, human aides assisted in scaling the final image onto a larger canvas, incorporating texture according to Ai-Da’s directions. “The fundamental image remains unchanged in this process,” Meller stressed. Ai-Da then made final touches and textures, determining their position and color through further conversations.

This is not Ai-Da’s inaugural venture into the art realm. In 2022, her solo exhibit *Leaping into the Metaverse* took place during the Venice Biennale. She has also showcased her work at the London Design Biennale, the Ashmolean Museum, Tate Modern, and various esteemed locations. Ai-Da has painted portraits of [Queen Elizabeth II](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-61600523) and the [2022 Glastonbury headliners](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-somerset-61839856), including Sir Paul McCartney and Billie Eilish.

In a press release regarding *AI God*, Ai-Da shared her thoughts on the importance of her creation: “The fundamental purpose of my work is its ability to ignite discussions surrounding emerging technologies. *AI God*, a tribute to the trailblazer Alan Turing, encourages viewers to contemplate the divine-like characteristics of AI and computing, while also reflecting on the ethical and societal ramifications of these developments. Alan Turing was aware of this potential and gazes at us as we accelerate towards this future.”