Christie’s is gearing up for a new chapter in its digital journey, unveiling “Augmented Intelligence,” an auction of AI-driven artworks slated for late February through early March. But not everyone is applauding. An open letter demanding the cancellation of this event has gathered over four thousand signatures, including prominent illustrators Karla Ortiz and Kelly McKernan—both part of a class-action lawsuit targeting tech companies over alleged copyright violations.
This sale marks a pivotal moment for the auction house, which introduced its on-chain platform, Christie’s 3.0, last year to explore NFTs and other digital ventures. Now, it’s setting its sights on AI-generated art with a curated offering of 20 pieces expected to reach a collective $600,000. Featured in the lineup is Harold Cohen, regarded as an early luminary in the field, alongside a crop of contemporary creators such as Refik Anadol, Pindar Van Arman, Sasha Stiles, Holly Herndon, and Mat Dryhurst—artists known for bending boundaries between code and creativity.
Yet the controversy hinges on accusations that AI relies heavily on uncredited and uncompensated human-made work. “These models, and the companies behind them, exploit human artists, using their work without permission or payment to build commercial AI products that compete with them,” reads the letter from outraged artists. “Your support of these models, and the people who use them, rewards and further incentivizes AI companies’ mass theft of human artists’ work.”
As debates around authorship and ethics intensify, Christie’s finds itself at a crossroads. Whether the outcry will prompt a shift in policy remains to be seen, but the conversation around what constitutes genuine artistry—especially in an AI-driven era—doesn’t seem to be cooling off anytime soon.
