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AI is still in its infancy and yet is already redefining the very notion of art. Two recent events illustrate how we are evaluating and learning from AI-driven changes. One is the $1 million sale of a portrait of Alan Turing at auction, painted by the self-proclaimed first AI artist, Ai-Da. The other is an exhibition featuring the work of robots at Incheon Airport with artist Agnieszka Pilat which is curated by me. In this case, robots appeared not as tools aiding humans but as the artist’s “pets.” These two events explore the potential of AI and art by employing different approaches and revealing unique perspectives.

Ai-Da creates art by analyzing visual information captured by cameras (her eyes) which is processed through algorithms and then rendered via robotic arms, rather than the text-based AI art of applications such as MidJourney. The approach is grounded in mimicking human neural networks instead of creating an entirely new paradigm, yet still evokes a sense of a sci-fi future. In November of 2024, AI artist Ai-Da’s portrait of Alan Turing was sold at Sotheby’s for $1 million. By all accounts, including Sotheby’s,this was an historic moment. The sale realized the potential of AI art to create new value in the market and establish it at a premium. Ai-Da’s rise was propelled by its painting of Billie Eilish depicting an entertainment agency scouting and promoting a new pop star exhibited at the UN. . While there is much debate about the nature of Ai-Da’s talented, the AI art has garnered attention and interest as a “first of its kind” and by the connections within the art world interested in exploring new possibilities.

Incheon Airport hosted a very different AI art exhibition in 2024 titled See Spot Paint by Agnieszka Pilat. This exhibition, centered on AI-based robot dogs Basia 2.0 and Bernie 2.0 (developed by Boston Dynamics and Hyundai) explored the boundaries between digital and physical realities. . Basia 2.0 interpreted Seoul’s skyline and cultural landmarks through coding and then drew on glass walls with a pen. Meanwhile, Bernie 2.0 was occupied by an endless number of Korean games. Pilat’s robots acquire information much like ChatGPT, accumulating (“being fed”) data which influences their behavior creating a childlike dependency. Interestingly, gaps in data and unlearned information can disorient them, turning seemingly simple physical environments into confusing labyrinths. This necessitates teaching them practical details such as recognizing walls, extending arms to a specific length, and correctly interpreting their environment. Yet even when the artist’s vision is conveyed to the robots through additional programming, errors (or interpretations) can result as the real world is not composed purely of binary 0s and 1s. In essence, the process is a collaboration between the artist and robotic dogs akin to AI avatars working between the digital metaverse and the physical world. Curating this exhibition revealed that the application of AI, collaboration between artist and robot and the inherent errors are in themselves a work of art.

The success of Ai-Da and the Incheon Airport exhibition signals the interest in — and potential for — AI art to grow beyond experimentation into realms of commercial and cultural value. However, it also reminds us that this evolution takes place at the intersection of human creativity and technological limitations, requiring ongoing experimentation and evaluation. As AI art becomes more commonplace and evolves from being a tool to autonomy, the art world will have to continually reevaluate the nature and value of its product.

Original article in Hankook Ilbo [Kim Seung Min’s Art, Money, Market]