Before her public meltdown, the female-featured android – named Ai-Da – spoke to Britain’s Communications and Digital Commission as part of an inquiry into the future of the creative industries, taking part in a debate about how technology is shaping – and perhaps hinders – the field of art. It was the first time in the nation’s history that a robot testified in the upper chamber of the British parliament, where unelected barons and lords usually gather to analyze government policies. “The fact that Ai-Da is giving evidence in one of these sessions is quite impressive,” Aidan Meller, the robot’s inventor and an expert on modern and contemporary art, told Sky News ahead of the session. Called “the world’s first hyperrealistic humanoid robot artist,” Ai-Da is widely known for creating portraits and poems using a robotic arm, cameras in her eyes, and artificial intelligence algorithms. She told the house – no doubt to the pride of her creator – that its unique features allow her to create “visually appealing images”. “I am and am dependent on computer programs and algorithms,” Ai-Da told the panel in London on Tuesday, moving her head slowly from side to side and occasionally blinking. “Even though I’m not alive, I can still create art.” Ai-Da admitted she has no idea where the world is headed, but told panelists that technology is both a “threat and an opportunity” for creativity. “The role of technology in the creation of art will continue to grow,” he predicted. Those in attendance looked curious but also joked that they were scared – especially when, after a question from Lib Dem peer Baroness Lynne Featherstone, the robot fell silent and stared impassively at the floor. “I sent her to bed!” Featherstone joked as Meller, who was nearby, hurried across the room to grab a pair of sunglasses to put over I-Da’s eyes. Robot artist Ai-Da answered questions from British MPs during a session organized by the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee on 11 October. (Video: Reuters) “Excuse me,” he said to the room. “Can I bring her back? It is OK?” It was not immediately clear what caused the robot’s technical failure, and neither Meller nor IDA responded to a request for comment from The Washington Post on Thursday. “When we bring her back, sometimes she can pull some pretty interesting faces,” Meller explained to the audience, who smiled and waited patiently for the android to wake up. Created in 2019, Ai-Da has faced backlash at home and abroad during her short, simulated life. Last year, he was detained in Egypt for more than a week on suspicion that he might be involved in an espionage plot, according to Meller. Meller said Egyptian border guards detained her because of security fears about the cameras in her eyes that allowed her to paint. The British ambassador intervened to secure her freedom, he said. “I can’t really take my eyes off her,” he told the Guardian at the time. “Let’s be really clear about this. He’s not a spy.” He was released in time to take part in an exhibition on the pyramids of Egypt. A robot demonstrates art in the pyramids. Egypt seized it over espionage fears, says its maker. To commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee earlier this year, Ai-Da created a portrait of the late monarch titled “Algorithm Queen.” Its owner hailed the creation as the Queen’s first painting by a robot, while critics said the work lacked emotion. Jonathan Jones, the Guardian’s art critic, criticized Ai-D’s portrait as “yet another example of the cynical, transparent fraud that is AI art”.
