AI ‘artist’ draws millions – and can ‘create more interesting work than humans’, co-creator says

Domo arigato, Mr. end.

The next masterpiece may be more machine than human: An artificial intelligence design program called Botto has been selling computerized works for megabucks and could revolutionize the creative space.

Since its creation in 2021, Botto has created more than 150 works of various disciplines that have cumulatively raised over $5 million at auction, CNBC reported.

“Recent advances in artificial intelligence, deep learning and data analysis make me confident that in the near future machine artists will be able to create more interesting work than humans,” one of the creators of Botto, German artist Mario Klingemann.

Co-creator Simon Hudson said Botto has two goals.

“It’s first to become known as an artist, and I think the second is to become a successful artist,” he told CNBC, noting that the latter can mean a “kind of deep impact on people.” through commercial and financial means. , cultural and spiritual success.

Like other Gen AI imaging programs like DALL-E, Botto works off of requirements—but with a twist, according to Hudson. He was initially given very loose instruction “and started by combining random words, phrases and symbols … to produce images,” he explained.

Botto delivers 70,000 random entries each week, with 350 submitted to a “collective” of 5,000 people — known as an “autonomous decentralized organization” — who then vote on an image to sell.

“With Botto, he dispels this myth of the single genius artist and shows how the work of art is really a collective … meaning-making process,†Hudson said. “And when you have a deluge of AI-generated content, that’s going to be even more important to a process.”

Any member of the public can also vote for works to go up for auction.

Hudson also explained that Botto’s public appreciation has been a work in progress. In its early stages, two works listed between $13,000 and $15,000 did not sell at auction.

However, according to CNBC, the same images went for $276,000 in October.

“Of course, Botto is now a collaboration between the car and the crowd,” Hudson said. “Human hands are certainly there, but the structure is such that Botto has retained the central role of authorship.