Turing honored by his creation

As the world quietly commemorated the birthday of Alan Turing — mathematical genius, war hero, and the father of modern computing — an uncanny tribute unfolded in the halls of Sotheby’s London. On 20 June 2024, just days before Turing’s 23 June birth anniversary (24 June in the Philippines), a portrait of the late codebreaker created by a humanoid robot named Ai-Da shattered expectations and fetched $1.3 million at auction.

The 2.2-meter (7.5-foot) piece titled “A.I. God” was painted by Ai-Da, widely recognized as the world’s first ultra-realistic robot artist. The piece not only marked the first time artwork by a humanoid robot went under the hammer but also set a record in the emerging genre of AI-driven art.

Sotheby’s called it a “moment in modern and contemporary art,” describing the sale as a watershed event that reflects “the growing intersection between artificial intelligence and the global art market.”

And it couldn’t have come at a more fitting time. Turing, whose theories on machine learning laid the foundations for today’s artificial intelligence, would have turned 112 this week. His legacy has not only shaped computing as we know it but is now being explored through one of its most advanced creations.

“The portrait of Turing invites viewers to reflect on the god-like nature of AI and computing while considering the ethical and societal implications of these advancements,” Ai-Da said in a statement. The robot, named after Ada Lovelace — the world’s first computer programmer — was developed by art specialist Aidan Meller with AI support from experts at Oxford and Birmingham universities.

Ai-Da, with large eyes, a synthetic face, and a brown wig, can converse, analyze images using cameras embedded in its eyes, and produce artworks with robotic arms. The Turing portrait was born from one such process: following a studio conversation on “AI for good,” Ai-Da suggested a tribute to the computing pioneer. The robot chose the style, tone, and texture, then rendered Turing’s face with muted tones and fragmented features — an aesthetic that Meller said reflected the very concerns Turing himself raised about machines and intelligence.

“Alan Turing warned of the risks we face when it comes to managing artificial intelligence,” said Meller. “This piece, with its ethereal and haunting style, is a tribute to those prophetic words.”

Turing’s influence on AI isn’t merely symbolic. His 1950 paper “Computing Machinery and Intelligence” posed the famous question, “Can machines think?” — the bedrock of AI ethics today. The Turing Test, his theoretical method for evaluating a machine’s intelligence, is still cited in debates about AI consciousness and sentience.

The robot’s creators hope Ai-Da’s work serves as more than just spectacle or novelty. “The greatest artists in history grappled with their times,” Meller said. “Ai-Da is uniquely positioned to explore the philosophical and ethical questions of our AI-driven age.”

The sale of A.I. God is not just a headline-grabbing milestone, it’s a signpost pointing to the future of creativity, where machines reflect on their makers.

In this case, the machine honored the man who imagined it possible.