Sotheby’s to Auction Humanoid Robot Ai-Da’s Alan Turing Portrait, Expected to Hit $180K

Sotheby’s is making history with its latest auction—this time, with a futuristic twist. Ai-Da, a humanoid robot, is stepping into the art scene with her 7-foot-tall painting of legendary mathematician Alan Turing, titled “AI God.” The piece is expected to sell for up to $180,000, making it the first-ever artwork by a robot to be auctioned by the iconic house.

Ai-Da, who’s equipped with robotic arms, cameras for eyes, and an AI-powered language model, created the piece using her own hydraulically-powered hands. She’s not just a painter, though—Ai-Da is designed to be a performance artist, poet, and designer. In a statement about the work, she said, “Through my artwork of Alan Turing, I commemorate his achievements and contributions to the development of computing and AI.”

The painting, which blends cutting-edge tech with an ode to one of AI’s pioneers, is part of a larger trend pushing boundaries in digital and robotic art. Michael Bouhanna, Sotheby’s head of NFT & digital art, commented, “Ai-Da’s portrait challenges the way we think about art and creativity in the 21st century, blurring the lines between human and machine-driven works.”

Ai-Da’s creators, including British gallerist Aidan Meller and engineers from Engineered Arts and the University of Oxford, insist the bot isn’t conscious—but that hasn’t stopped her from making waves. She’s exhibited her art at the United Nations and the Chelsea Factory, and has even delivered speeches at 10 Downing Street and the House of Lords.

Meller noted the eerie connection between Turing’s legacy and the rise of AI: “In the 1950s, Alan Turing warned about the future of AI. Ai-Da’s portrait feels like a haunting reflection of those concerns.”

As the global conversation around AI intensifies, Ai-Da’s “AI God” puts that tension front and center. With its bold aesthetic and futuristic vibe, this auction marks a new frontier in art and tech.