Robot Ai-Da unveils portrait of King Charles III at the United Nations
In a scene that felt like something out of a dystopian Ridley Scott movie, a painting of the monarch created by a robot named Ai-Da was unveiled at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva. But Ai-Da isn't just your typical robot.
Titled "Algorithm King", the oil painting is the latest work by Ai-Da Robot, the world's first ultra-realistic robot artist. Created in 2019, Ai-Da is able to draw and paint thanks to high-tech cameras in her eyes, complex AI algorithms and a specially-designed robotic arm.
Her latest regal piece was shown alongside her earlier portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II, "Algorithm Queen", which she painted to mark the Platinum Jubilee.
Speaking at the UN's AI for Good Global Summit, Ai-Da said: "Presenting my portrait of His Majesty King Charles III is not just a creative act, it's a statement about the evolving role of AI in our society, and to reflect on how artificial intelligence is shaping the cultural landscape."
Created by gallerist and researcher Aidan Meller, Ai-Da can draw, paint, sculpt, and even engage in conversation, thanks to a sophisticated language model.
'Ai-Da chose to paint His Majesty King Charles III because he has an admirable and thoughtful leadership style," Meller told Euronews Culture. "As both a monarch and a long-standing advocate for the arts and sustainability, King Charles emphasises some concerns that Ai-Da's work also seeks to explore – the tension between traditional and the contemporary, for example.'
Ai-Da has already made history. Earlier this year, a painting by the robot sold at Sotheby's for a staggering one million dollars. But the true significance of her work might lie less in the gallery and more in the debate it provokes.
"Ai-Da's work challenges us to reconsider long-held assumptions about human ingenuity and the purpose of art itself," Meller explained. "More broadly, the portrait invites discussion about the ethical use of AI in the arts: how humans and machines can work together collaboratively."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
a day ago
- Euronews
Beloved British children's author Allan Ahlberg dies aged 87
Celebrated British children's author Allan Ahlberg has died aged 87, his publisher Penguin Random House has confirmed. Ahlberg wrote 150 books, including beloved titles like 'The Jolly Postman or Other People's Letters', 'Funny Bones', 'Burglar Bill', 'Peepo!' and 'Each Peach Pear Plum'. He worked with his first wife, Janet, an award-winning illustrator, for these classics – which sold millions of copies around the world. The prize-winning 'The Jolly Postman', published in 1991, has sold over six million copies. In Euronews Culture's The Books That Made Us, we described "The Jolly Postman"'s 'wild and varied characters' and the happiness that decries from reading such a joyful book. After Janet's death in 1994, he worked with other illustrators like Raymond Briggs and then went on to collaborate with his daughter Jessica for books like 'Half a Pig'. Ahlberg also made headlines in 2014 when he refused a lifetime achievement award because it was sponsored by Amazon, which was facing criticism over its tax arrangements. Francesca Dow, head of children's literature at Penguin Random House, said: "Allan was one of the most extraordinary authors I have had the privilege and pleasure to work with. His brilliant books – so many of them created with his late wife, Janet, the highly talented illustrator – have been described as 'mini masterpieces'.' She added: "Allan's are some of the very best – true classics, which will be loved by children and families for years to come. Dear Allan, we will all miss you enormously." Fellow children's author Michael Rosen said in a tribute on X: "You were a pioneer of great children's literature, both in picture books and poetry. You were clever, funny and wise. My children loved your books. So did and so DO I." Born in Croydon in 1938, Ahlberg was adopted into a working-class family living in the West Midlands town of Oldbury. He worked as a postman and gravedigger before training to become a teacher at Sunderland Teacher Training College, where he met Janet. Ahlberg is survived by his wife Vanessa, daughter Jessica and stepdaughters Saskia and Johanna.
Euronews
2 days ago
- Euronews
How to tell if a song was made by AI or a human
Is it The Velvet Underground or Velvet Sundown? The fictitious rock group, Velvet Sundown – which comes complete with music, lyrics and album art generated by artificial intelligence (A) – is stoking debate about how the new technology is blurring the line between the real and synthetic in the music industry, and whether creators should be transparent with their audience. Computer software is widely used in music production, and AI is just the latest tool that disc jockeys, music producers and others have added to their production pipeline. But the rise of AI song generators such as Suno and Udio is set to transform the industry because they allow anyone to create songs with just a few prompts. While some people do not care whether they're listening to AI-generated music, others might be curious to know. If you encounter a new song that leaves you wondering whether it's 100 per cent made with AI, there are some methods that could reveal how it was created. Do a background check If you're wondering who's behind a song, try some old-fashioned detective work. The 'most obvious cues' come from 'external factors,' said Manuel Mousallam, head of research and development at streaming service Deezer. Does the band or artist have social media accounts? Lack of a social presence might indicate there's no one there. If they do exist online, examine the kind of content they post, and how long it goes back. Is there any sign that the artist or band exists in real life? Are there any upcoming concerts and can you buy a ticket for a gig? Is there footage of past concerts on YouTube? Has an established record label released their singles or albums? Try going to the source. Song creators often – but not always – publish their generated tunes on the Suno or Udio platforms, where they can be found by other users. The catch is that you'll have to sign up for an account to get access. Users can look up songs by track name or the creator's handle, and browse genres and playlists. But it can still be difficult to spot a song, especially if you don't know the name of the song or creator. Song tags Deezer has been flagging albums containing AI-generated songs, as part of its efforts to be more transparent as it battles streaming fraudsters looking to make quick money through royalty payments. The Deezer app and website will notify listeners with an on-screen label – 'AI-generated content' – to point out that some tracks on an album were created with song generators. The company's CEO says the system relies on in-house technology to detect subtle but recognisable patterns found in all audio created by AI song generators. The company hasn't specified how many songs it has tagged since it rolled out the feature in June, but says up to 18 per cent of songs uploaded to its platform each day are AI-generated. Check the lyrics AI song tools can churn out both music and lyrics. Many serious users like to write their own words and plug them in because they've discovered that AI-generated lyrics tend to be bad. Casual users, though, might prefer to just let the machine write them. Bad rhyming schemes or repetitive lyrical structures might be a clue that a song is not man-made, but it's subjective. Some users report that Suno tends to use certain words in its lyrics like 'neon," 'shadows' or 'whispers'. If a song includes these words, it's 'a dead giveaway' that it's AI, said Lukas Rams, a Philadelphia-area resident who has used Suno to create three albums for his AI band Sleeping with Wolves. 'I don't know why, it loves to put 'neon' in everything'. No easy answers AI technology is improving so quickly that there's no foolproof way to determine if content is real or not, and experts say you can't just rely on your ear. 'In general, it can be difficult to tell if a track is AI-generated just from listening, and it's only becoming more challenging as the technology gets increasingly advanced,' said Mousallam of Deezer. 'Generative models such as Suno and Udio are constantly changing, meaning that old identifiers – such as vocals having a distinctive reverb – are not necessarily valid anymore'.
Euronews
3 days ago
- Euronews
Artists revolt against Spotify over CEO's investment in AI warfare
The prolific Australian psych-rock group King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard is the latest band to cut ties with Spotify in protest of CEO Daniel Ek's increasing ties with the arms industry - specifically his investment in a controversial AI-driven military tech firm. Ek co-founded the investment firm Prima Materia, which has invested heavily in Helsing, a German company developing AI for use in warfare, including drone technology. The Financial Times recently reported that Prima Materia led a €600 million funding round for Helsing and had previously backed the company before Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The news has sparked strong backlash from musicians who say they no longer want to be associated with a platform whose profits are being funnelled into weapons development. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, known for hits like 'Work This Time' and 'Robot Stop', have removed nearly all of their music from Spotify, only leaving a few releases due to existing licensing deals. They announced the decision on Instagram, stating their new demos were available 'everywhere except Spotify,' adding 'f*** Spotify.' A post shared by Deerhoof (@deerhoof) Other artists have taken similar action. American indie group Deerhoof posted a statement saying they don't want their "music killing people" and described Spotify as a 'data-mining scam.' Experimental rock group Xiu Xiu also criticised the platform, calling it a 'garbage hole armageddon portal" and urged fans to cancel their Spotify subscriptions. These protests add to a growing list of controversies and concerns surrounding the streaming platform. Spotify recently came under fire after allowing an AI-generated band called Velvet Sundown, which has managed to rack up millions of streams, to appear on its platform with a 'verified artist' badge. Euronews Culture's very own music aficionado David Mouriquand described it as "a prime example of autocratic tech bros seeking to reduce human creation to algorithms designed to eradicate art." He added: "When artists are expressing real, legitimate concerns over the ubiquity of AI in a tech-dominated world and the use of their content in the training of AI tools, the stunt comes off as tone-deaf. Worse, morally shameless." And while Spotify announced in its Loud & Clear 2024 report that it paid over $10 billion (€9.2 billion) to the music industry in 2024 alone, critics argue that most of those payouts go to just a small percentage of top artists and labels, and that the platform still underpay and exploit the vast majority of musicians. Icelandic musician Björk put it most bluntly: 'Spotify is probably the worst thing that has happened to musicians.'
