Despite opposition from thousands of artists over AI’s use, Christie’s first AI-focused auction proceeded and surpassed expectations, closing with $728,784 in sales and an 82% sell-through rate. The auction attracted younger buyers, with 48% of bidders being Millennials or Gen Z.
The sale attracted a diverse buyer pool, likely due to the wide price range, from $1,764 for Vanessa Rosa’s Little Martians & Abraham (2024) to $277,200 for Refik Anadol’s AI-generated space data painting, which was the top-selling piece.
By exceeding its $200,000 estimate, this “dynamic painting”, part of Anadol’s Machine Hallucinations series, visualizes 1.2 million images from the International Space Station, using AI algorithms to explore themes of space and nature.
Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst’s Embedding Study #1 and #2 (2024), part of the xhairymutantx series, featuring AI-generated portraits of Herndon from the 2024 Whitney Biennial, was the second-highest sale at $94,500, exceeding its $90,000 estimate.
Alexander Reben’s Untitled Robot Painting (2025) reflected Christie’s optimistic yet cautious approach to AI art, with a wide estimate range of $100 to $1,728,000. Digital art pioneers saw mixed results—Charles Csuri’s Bspline Men (1966) ranked third in price at $50,400, but failed to meet its $55,000 estimate.
Christie’s AI art auction originally faced strong opposition from artists who argued that AI models exploit human creativity by using their work without permission or payment to create commercial AI products. While some digital artists, like Beeple, supported the auction, others criticized it as a reflection of the struggle between human artistry and machine innovation.
Nicole Sales Giles, VP of digital art sales at Christie’s, stated that the auction aimed to test whether collectors recognize the influence and significance of digital artists. They stated, “The artists in this sale have strong, existing multidisciplinary practices, some of which are recognized in leading museum collections,” and that AI was being used to enhance their work. She noted that the strong results confirmed their growing influence, calling the public support “truly inspiring.”
Despite the controversy, the results indicate that AI art, while divisive, is solidifying its place in the market. The auction reaffirmed strong demand for AI artworks, following Sotheby’s $1.08 million sale of AI God: Portrait of Alan Turing (2024) last November—the first painting by a humanoid robot to be sold at auction.
