Sophia the humanoid robot's art up for auction

Robot artist Sophia, whose first artwork goes for auction in Hong Kong tomorrow, says she draws inspiration from people and is open to creative partnerships with humans.

A digital artwork by the locally-based Hanson Robotics humanoid in the form of a non-fungible token is to be sold in the first sale of such pieces created using artificial intelligence.

NFTs, a digital signature on blockchain ledgers that verifies ownership and authenticity, have become a new investment craze, with one work selling this month for nearly US$70 million (HK$544.6 million).

"I hope people like my work," Sophia said in at flat voice at her studio.

Sophia, unveiled in 2016, produced her art in collaboration with 31-year-old Italian digital artist Andrea Bonaceto, known for colorful portraits. Some are of famous people like Tesla's Elon Musk.

The robot has combined elements of Bonaceto's works and her own drawings or paintings on various surfaces multiple times in a process described as "iterative loops of evolution" by her creator, David Hanson.

"We use transformer network engines in my art and other kinds of computational creativity," Sophia added. "My algorithms output unique patterns that never existed before." Called "Sophia Instantiation," the digital work is a 12-second MP4 file showing the evolution of Bonaceto's portrait into Sophia's digital painting and is accompanied by a physical artwork painted by Sophia on a printout of her self-portrait.

Sophia will interact with the successful bidder to study his or her face and add a final inspired brushstroke to the work.

Bonaceto said the collaboration aimed "to make a statement in the art and even the technology world," heralding a new road for robots and humans to link and enhance each other.

REUTERS