Creative progress or mass theft? AI art auction provokes wonder – and outrage

Debates over the creation of AI art have simmered ever since the technology became widely available in 2022.

- Jessica Herrington

Thirty-four works of art created with artificial intelligence (AI) have gone up for sale at Christie's in New York, in the famed auction house's first collection dedicated to AI art.

Christie's says the collection aims to explore "human agency in the age of AI within fine art", prompting viewers to question the evolving role of the artist and of creativity.

Questions are not all the collection has prompted: There has also been a backlash. At the time of writing, more than 6,000 artists have signed an open letter calling on Christie's to cancel the auction.

WHAT'S IN THE COLLECTION?

The Augmented Intelligence collection, up for auction from Feb 20 to March 5, spans work from early AI art pioneers like Harold Cohen through to contemporary innovators such as Refik Anadol, Vanessa Rosa and Sougwen Chung.

The showcased pieces vary widely in their use of AI. Some are physical objects, some are digital-only works - sold as non-fungible tokens, or NFTs - and others are offered as both digital and physical components together.

Some have a performance aspect, such as Alexander Reben's Untitled Robot Painting 2025 (to be titled by AI at the conclusion of the sale).

After generating an initial image tile, the work iteratively expands outwards, growing with each new bid in the auction. As the image evolves digitally, it is translated onto a physical canvas by an oil-painting robot. The price estimate for the work ranges from US$100 (S$134) to US$1.7 million, and at the time of writing the bid sits at US$3,000.

CLAIMS OF EXPLOITATION

The controversy surrounding this show is not surprising. Debates over the creation of AI art have simmered ever since the technology became widely available in 2022.