Ai-Da, an ultra-realistic British humanoid robot artist just like this, unveiled her newest work at the United Nations’ AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, Switzerland. The magnificent full-length portrait shows Their Majesties the King and Queen. So, for Ai-Da, this event was a pivotal moment. She has been pushing boundaries and disrupting the patriarchy in the art world since her creation.
To do that, British modern and contemporary art specialist Aidan Meller of Oxford came up with Ai-Da. Retina Entertainment She was created by Engineered Arts in the UK. Using cameras embedded in her retinas, she films the world around her that she often then turns into immersive art pieces. Her internet connection gives her access to a world of knowledge at her fingertips. This access feeds her capacity to explore topics big and small.
During the pandemic and in the years afterward, Ai-Da has produced some extraordinary works. In 2023, she created a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, and in 2024, her triptych of Alan Turing went for more than £1 million at auction. Meller firmly believes that Ai-Da’s art should be used as a starting point for discussions about the most urgent issues facing our world today.
“We hope that Ai-Da’s artwork is able to be a provocation to have that discussion,” – Aidan Meller.
This year, Meller turned Ai-Da’s laserlike focus on to King Charles III. With consent from Buckingham Palace, she dropped the cover on her portrait at the Geneva summit. Meller shared the reasoning behind selecting the monarch as a focal point.
“With extraordinary strides that are taking place in technology and again, always questioning our relationship to the environment, we felt that King Charles was a really good subject,” – Aidan Meller.
Ai-Da’s unprecedented ability to engage with people brings a different dimension to her artistry. Because she can hold a free flowing conversation with her language model, this makes for some really interactive and fun experiences. Meller noted the depth of these interactions.
“Uncannily, and rather nerve-wrackingly, we just ask her. It was through those conversations that the artwork is then able to be done,” – Aidan Meller.
Over the course of six years developing Ai-Da, Meller came to understand a lot about humanity’s own nature. He continued by commenting on a big takeaway from their joint work.
“Not so much about how human she is but actually how robotic we are,” – Aidan Meller.
Meller’s observations pose interesting questions that challenge the idea of how humans can interact with technology.
“Working with a robot is throwing up lots of questions about the relationship we have actually with ourselves,” – Aidan Meller.