Christie's first AI art auction provokes fierce debate – and it's hard to pick a side

An image from Christie's AI art auction Augmented Intelligence
(Image credit: Keke / AI)

We've already seen auction houses start to flirt with AI art. Last year, the 'autonomous AI artist' Botto made $351,600 at Sotheby's. But Christie's decision to host an entire auction dedicated to AI art this month is sparking a fierce backlash.

The controversy is hardly surprising. Many of today's most popular AI image generators were trained on copyrighted material without permission, and there's also a fear that AI will put artists out of work. But not all AI art is theft. Is this the right fight for those opposed to image generation?

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Joe Foley

Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.

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