Sotheby’s will be holding its first-ever auction of artwork created by a robot later this month.
The auction house’s “digital art day” event will include “AI God,” a portrait of Alan Turing created by Ai-Da, a “humanoid robot artist.” Turing, a renowned mathematician and computer scientist whose work in cryptography was essential to cracking the German Enigma code during World War II, is widely considered to be the creator of modern computing. His “Turing test,” developed in 1949, is also seen as foundational to the modern understanding of artificial intelligence.
The 64 by 90.5 inch mixed-media painting was created by Ai-Da earlier this year, and is currently estimated by Sotheby’s to fetch $120,000-$180,000 at the auction, which opens on Oct. 31.