An AI art demonstration for UK lawmakers ended on a terrifying note

A seminal moment in the history of artificial intelligence (AI) occurred on Oct. 11, when a robot addressed the UK's House of Lords to discuss the topic of AI-created art. The focus of the meeting was Ai-Da, the AI-controlled, humanoid robot conceived by art dealer Aidan Meller and researcher Lucy Seal. The software algorithms controlling Ai-Da were developed by researchers at Oxford University, while the hardware components were produced by Engineered Arts and engineering students Salah Al Abd and Ziad Abass. The demonstration of the robot, which made its debut in 2019, quickly gave way to serious discussion of how AI-produced art might impact humans in the future. The assembled lawmakers appeared uneasy throughout the presentation, and at times unsure of how to address the robot in the room, as both Meller and Ai-Da responded to their questions.