Sophia Robot's Digital Art Will Be World's 1st AI Painting To Be Sold Online

Sophia the robot has worn several hats five years since she was activated by the Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics.

And having already established herself as an activist, a musician, and a fashionista, the humanoid robot is now a digital artist looking to cash in to the internet's latest hysteria: NFT.

Reuters

Reuters reported that each of Sophia¡¯s artwork will be linked to an NFT and will be up for auction early Wednesday (4.30AM IST) on the digital art marketplace Nifty Gateway. This will be the world¡¯s first sale of such pieces created jointly with artificial intelligence (AI).

Through Computational Creativity, I collaborate with artists, AI developers, and engineers. Would you like to create an artwork with me?
? #Drop #NiftyGateway March 23rd, 6.30pm ET? @hansonrobotics @andreabonac_art @niftygateway @ivgalleryla #NFT #robots #artist #cryptoart pic.twitter.com/TocLsqlHIl

¡ª Sophia the Robot (@RealSophiaRobot) March 22, 2021

NFT is a digital signature authenticated by blockchain that certifies the ownership and originality of items. It has become the latest investment craze, with one digital artwork--a collage of 5,000 individual images by Beeple--selling for nearly $70 million earlier this month.

"I hope the people like my work, and the humans and I can collaborate in new and exciting ways going forward," said Sophia, who could be seen wearing a silver-coloured dress and holding a pencil in her hand.

Artworks take life on their own; they develop a personality, intimating the prospect of becoming a living subject of nature. That's me, both an artwork and an artist.
? #Drop #NiftyGateway March 23rd, 6.30pm ET ? @hansonrobotics https://t.co/qnXU3qMBdL
.#NFT #robot #cryptoart pic.twitter.com/lJDrlYIKlN

¡ª Sophia the Robot (@RealSophiaRobot) March 19, 2021

On March 15, Hanson Robotics had announced that the humanoid robot had collaborated with artist Andrea Bonaceto--known for colourful portraits--on several digital artworks.

¡°We use transformer networks and genetic algorithms in my art, and other kinds of computational creativity,¡± Sophia added. ¡°My algorithms output unique patterns that never existed in the world before. So I think the machines can be creative.¡±

Reuters

The first piece that will be up for auction is called ¡°Sophia Instantiation¡± and comes in the form of a 12-second MP4 file that shows the evolution of Bonaceto¡¯s portrait into Sophia¡¯s digital painting. It will also be accompanied by a physical artwork, painted by Sophia on a printout of her self-portrait.

After the auction, I'll study the collector's face and add one last iteration to my digital and physical #NFT work, "Sophia Instantiation."
.
? #Drop #NiftyGateway on March 23rd, 6.30pm ET ?
.@hansonrobotics @andreabonac_art @niftygateway @ivgallerylahttps://t.co/fySsjd1iED pic.twitter.com/P2LPRH9Zjm

¡ª Sophia the Robot (@RealSophiaRobot) March 22, 2021

What do you think about the rise of NFT art auctions and Sophia's newfound ability as a digital artist? Let us know in the comments section below...