A Christie's auction dedicated solely to AI-generated art concluded on March 5, sparking controversy and generating over $728,000.
The "Augmented Intelligence" sale in London, the first of its kind for the auction house, saw 28 of 34 lots sold, including works by Refik Anadol, Charles Csuri, and Harold Cohen.
The auction faced criticism, with nearly 6,500 signatories petitioning for its cancellation due to concerns that AI models used to create the art were trained on copyrighted works without permission. Critics argued that this exploits human artists by using their work without consent or compensation to create commercial AI products that then compete with them.
Despite the controversy, the auction exceeded expectations, surpassing its initial estimate of $600,000. The top-selling piece was Refik Anadol's "Machine Hallucinations - ISS Dreams - A (2021)", fetching $277,200.
Christie's noted that 37% of bidders were new to the auction house, with nearly half belonging to the Millennial or Gen Z demographics, indicating a growing interest in AI art among younger collectors.