April 14, 2021

Text: Annie Block

The Design Museum in London Exhibits Art-Producing Humanoid Robot

A robot sketches on a white pad at the Design Museum in London
The robot has been programmed with AI to produce art. Photography courtesy of the Studio of Aidan Meller Gallery.

AI is practically
everywhere these days—phones, cars, hospitals, outer space. Now, with “Ai-Da Self Portraits” at the Design Museum in London, add arts institutions, and possibly your client’s living room wall, to the list. Named after Ada Lovelace, the pioneering female scientist and mathematician, the robot is the vision of independent gallerist Aidan Meller and researcher/curator Lucy Seal and made by Engineered Arts and University of Oxford PhD students. Ai-Da stands 5 feet 8 inches tall, took a year to build, and has been programmed to use algorithms to create art that comments on the current and future uses of AI. “She” will be present at the opening of the exhibition, alongside the trio of selfies she produced.

The show includes three self-portraits by Ai-Da, each an oil on canvas.
The show includes three self-portraits by Ai-Da, each an oil on canvas. Photography courtesy of the Studio of Aidan Meller Gallery.
Ai-Da, a life-size humanoid robot cloaked in a custom vintage-style dress
Ai-Da, a life-size humanoid robot cloaked in a custom vintage-style dress to highlight her timeless endurance, is the subject of an exhibit at the Design Museum, London, that runs May 17 to June 6.

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