Neural network at the price of Picasso: a new picture, written by AI, will be sold at auction

March 6 at Sotheby’s in LondonA very unusual lot is an installation, the main element of which is a neural network that constantly generates unique portraits. The project, entitled Memories of Passersby 1, will be the second AI work of art to be sold. Moreover, this is the first such neural network, which was created specifically for the auction.

The installation consists of two screens connected bybetween themselves a small vintage chest of drawers (by the way, also an important part of the project, walnut tree after all). It is in this “nightstand” that artificial intelligence is located, which independently generates a stream of images. According to the creator of the project - Mario Klingemann, the buyer of this lot will provide themselves with original portraits for a lifetime (yes, they will never be repeated).

Tens were used to train the neural network.thousands of paintings and works of European art. AI is capable of self-learning, for which the creator has built many algorithms. The installation requires only electricity, for everything else is responsible for the neural network.

The initial cost of the lot will be from 40 to50 thousand dollars, but its final price can easily reach 500 thousand dollars and even a million. So, in October last year, another neural network work of art, “Portrait of Edmond de Bellamy”, was sold at the largest auction at Christie’s for 432 thousand dollars. The sale of the “masterpiece” turned out to be unusual not only because it was the first time in the 252-year history of the auction house selling a picture painted by a robot, but also because the expected value of the lot should have been no more than 7-10 thousand dollars.

Do you think that pictures made by neural networks are worth that kind of money? Share your opinion in our telegram chat.