Christie’s Announces AI Art Auction, and Not Everyone Is Pleased

Fine art auction house Christie’s has sold AI-generated art before. But soon, it plans to hold its first show dedicated solely to works created with AI, an announcement that has been met with mixed reviews.

The Upcoming “Augmented Intelligence” Auction

The auction, which Christie’s is calling “Augmented Intelligence,” will feature artwork from artists including Mat Dryhurst, the founder of AI startup, Spawning AI. A robot that paints live is set to be the exhibition’s centerpiece at Christie’s Rockefeller Center galleries in New York, beginning February 20.

Criticism and Controversy Over AI Art

Users on social media were quick to point out that many generative AI tools for art were trained on artists’ works without their permission. Critics argued that shows like Augmented Intelligence put this work on a pedestal, at the expense of those creating art by hand.

Open Letter Demands Christie’s Cancel the Auction

There’s now an open letter demanding that Christie’s cancel the auction. It’s reached over 1,800 signatures in less than 24 hours.

Christie’s Defends Its AI Art Auction

“The artists represented in this sale all have strong, existing multidisciplinary art practices, some recognized in leading museum collections,” said a Christie’s spokesperson. “The works in this auction are using artificial intelligence to enhance their bodies of work and in most cases, AI is being employed in a controlled manner, with data trained on the artists’ own inputs.”

Social Media Reactions to AI Art Tools

On the page announcing their AI art auction, @ChristiesInc is elevating DALL-E, Midjourney & Stable Diffusion – all of which were trained on mountains of artists’ work without permission – without once mentioning the huge issues with this.