A portrait of English mathematician Alan Turing has become the first work of art by a humanoid robot to be sold at auction for more than 1 million US dollars.

The 2.2-meter (7.5-foot) portrait “AI God” by “Ai-Da”, the world’s first ultra-realistic robot artist, sold for US$1,084,800, beating pre-sale expectations of US$180,000 at auction house Sotheby’s Digital Art Sale.

“The record sale price for the first work of art by a humanoid robot artist to be auctioned marks a moment in the history of modern and contemporary art and reflects the growing intersection between AI technology and the global art market,” said the auction house.

Ai-Da Robot, which uses AI to speak, said: “The main value of my work is its ability to serve as a catalyst for dialog about emerging technologies.”

The ultra-realistic robot, one of the most advanced in the world, was designed to resemble a human woman, with a face, large eyes and a brown wig.

Ai-Da is named after Ada Lovelace, the world’s first computer programmer, and was designed by Aidan Meller, a specialist in modern and contemporary art.

By Eduardo Quive