The First AI Artworks Sold at $432,500!
Image Credit: https://news.artnet.com/market/first-ever-artificial-intelligence-portrait-painting-sells-at-christies-1379902
The auction world witnessed a historic moment at Christie's New York with the sale of "Portrait of Edmond de Belamy" (2018), the first-ever AI-generated artwork to go under the hammer. The piece far exceeded expectations, fetching $432,500 after a spirited six-minute bidding war. Initially estimated to sell for between $7,000 to $10,000, the final sale price represented a staggering 4,320 percent increase, highlighting the market's burgeoning interest in AI-created art.
The Mechanics of Creation
The "Portrait of Edmond de Belamy" comes from a series depicting the fictional Belamy family, crafted by the Paris-based AI research group Obvious. The artwork was generated using a type of artificial intelligence called a generative adversarial network (GAN). This technology involves two parts: a Generator that creates new images and a Discriminator that judges them, aiming to produce images indistinguishable from human-created art.
The Technology Behind the Art
Obvious, the collective behind the portrait, utilized a dataset of 15,000 portraits spanning from the 14th to the 20th centuries to train their AI. The technology's goal is to fool the Discriminator into believing that the generated images are genuine historical portraits, blurring the lines between human and machine creativity in art.
Market Reaction and Spectatorship
The auction not only showcased the artwork but also demonstrated a strong market reaction to AI-generated art. Among the curious spectators and bidders were those participating via phone and online, including an anonymous phone bidder who ultimately secured the lot. This lively participation underscores a growing curiosity and acceptance of AI in traditional art spaces.
Cataloging and Presentation
In an interesting twist on traditional auction cataloging, the "Portrait of Edmond de Belamy" was listed not under an artist's name but as a product of a generative adversarial network. This unique catalog entry highlights the shift in how art is being perceived and categorized in the age of AI, with the piece signed using the GAN model's loss function—a nod to its digital origins.
Industry Perspectives and Skepticism
Despite the successful sale, the AI art movement has its critics. Robbie Barrat, a young artist familiar with GAN technology, argues that what Obvious is doing isn't new or groundbreaking within the AI community. He suggests that their success is more about marketing prowess than artistic innovation, indicating a divide between traditional perceptions of art and newer, technology-driven approaches.
The Role of Novelty in AI Art
The enthusiasm surrounding the sale of AI-generated art may be driven more by novelty and speculation than by a deep appreciation for the art itself. This perspective raises questions about the sustainability of interest in AI art and whether current valuations are inflated by the allure of new technology rather than genuine artistic or cultural value.
Looking Forward: AI's Place in Art History
As AI continues to make inroads into the art world, its long-term impact remains to be seen. Will AI-generated artworks hold their value and significance, or are they a temporary curiosity driven by technological novelty? The sale at Christie's may mark the beginning of a new era in art, one that challenges traditional notions of creativity and authorship, setting the stage for future explorations of AI's potential in the creative world.
