TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Auction houses are venturing into the market of AI-generated art

  (Agence France-Presse)
Mon, April 22, 2019 Published on Apr. 22, 2019 Published on 2019-04-22T11:38:12+07:00

Change text size

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Over the past few months, prominent auction houses have shown a growing interest in AI-generated art. Over the past few months, prominent auction houses have shown a growing interest in AI-generated art. (Shutterstock/streetlucifer)

P

hillips is the latest auction house to feature an artwork generated by artificial intelligence, as part of its online-only “Unbound” sale.

The sculpture “Dio” was created by New York artist Ben Snell, whose work investigates materialities and ecologies of computation.

Read also: This art has been created by AI. Will collectors want it?

He trained his computer — named “Dio” after the Greek God Dionysus — to become a sculptor, using an algorithm to scan and process more than a thousand sculpture references. The resulting form — which resembles a humanoid figure — became the basis for the final sculpture, which was then created by grounding the computer Dio to dust and utilizing it as a physical medium.

“Dio” was the first sculpture developed by a computer to ever go under the hammer. Estimated between $3.000 and $5.000, the artwork reached $6.875 at the end of the auction on Thursday.

The Phillips sale is far from being an isolated event. Over the past few months, prominent auction houses have shown a growing interest in AI-generated art. In October, Christie’s caused a stir when the algorithm-created painting “Portrait of Edmond de Belamy” fetched $432.500 — more than 40 times its high estimate. 

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.

Share options

Quickly share this news with your network—keep everyone informed with just a single click!

Change text size options

Customize your reading experience by adjusting the text size to small, medium, or large—find what’s most comfortable for you.

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!

Continue in the app

Get the best experience—faster access, exclusive features, and a seamless way to stay updated.