Whether or not the UK will have a Royal Family in the future is something that often comes up in debate.
If we do, the latest evidence suggests there will be no lack of artists around to paint them.
A new portrait titled “Algorithm King” has perhaps offered a glimpse of how members of the Royal Family may be painted in the decades or even centuries ahead – after it was created by a female “robot artist” named Ai-Da.
The artistic humanoid used advanced artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms and a robot arm using on oil canvas to create the painting of King Charles.
Ai-Da, the first robot to ever paint the monarch, also used the cameras in her eyes to help create her machine-made masterpiece.
The robot previously painted a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II to celebrate the monarch’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
The two portraits, which the monarchs didn’t sit for, were exhibited together at an unveiling of the portrait of King Charles as part of the AI For Good Summit hosted by the United Nations in Geneva.
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Ai-Da, described as being the world’s first “ultra-realistic robot artist”, was created by UK art dealer Aidan Meller and built in Cornwall by Engineered Arts.
She uses advanced AI language modelling to enable her to have a conversation with humans.
Speaking at the UN, Ai-Da said: “It’s a privilege to be part of this remarkable event at the United Nations, surrounded by those shaping the future of technology and culture. 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.”
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Simon Manley, ambassador and permanent representative to the World Trade Organisation and UN in Geneva, said at the unveiling of the portrait: “Ai-Da is not just a technological marvel, she is a cultural conversation starter. We are proud to showcase British innovation at its most imaginative, and to reflect on how emerging technologies can shape global dialogues on art, ethics and identity.”
Ai-Da – named after the first computer programmer Ada Lovelace – has spoken at the House of Lords, Number 10 Downing Street and at the UN.
Her artwork has been exhibited all over the world from the Tate Modern, V&A, Somerset House and the Design Museum in Britain to the Pyramids in Egypt and the Venice Biennale.
She made history in 2024 when a painting by her sold at Sotheby’s for $1m.
Mr Meller said: “The greatest artists in history grappled with their period of time, and both celebrated and questioned society’s shifts. Ai-Da Robot as technology, is the perfect artist today to discuss the current developments with technology and its unfolding legacy.”
