The tradition of painting the portrait of a British monarch is an exclusive art form that stretches back more than 600 years. But for the first time, the brush was not being wielded by a human, but by Ai-Da, a humanoid robot infused with advanced artificial intelligence (AI).
Ai-Da has created an oil portrait of King Charles III called “Algorithm King,” painted without the king sitting for it. It’s made possible with the help of the reference photo and, of course, the AI.
Who or What is Ai-Da?
AI Meets Royalty: Robot Ai-Da Creates Striking Portrait of King
Ultra-realistic humanoid artist robot Ai-Da looks on in front of paintings of Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth II, displayed on the sidelines of the AI for Good Global Summit organised by International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, on July 9, 2025. When successful artist Ai-Da unveiled a new portrait of King Charles this week, the humanoid robot described what inspired the layered and complex piece, and insisted it had no plans to “replace” humans.
VALENTIN FLAURAUD/AFP via Getty Images
According to Digital Trends, the painting was premiered at the AI for Good Summit organized by the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. It’s an event that is committed to highlighting the ways that artificial intelligence can be utilized for the benefit of humankind.
Ai-Da, the world’s first ultra-realistic AI robot artist, was created in 2019 by a joint venture between gallery director Aidan Meller, Engineered Arts, and researchers from the University of Oxford and the University of Leeds.
With the help of advanced language processing algorithms, cameras, and a pair of robotic arms, Ai-Da can have natural conversations and draw highly detailed pictures. Though it is not mobile as yet, and needs to be set up in front of a canvas to start working.
Read more:
Amazon’s Robots Are About to Outnumber Its 1.1 Million Warehouse Workers
How Did Ai-Da Create ‘Algorithm King’
For “Algorithm King,” Ai-Da employed both image processing and algorithmic choice to analyze different photos of King Charles III. She then painted oil on canvas using her robot arm, creating a portrait which many have dubbed surprisingly human in its rendition.
“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,” Ai-Da said in comments via Sky News. “
The robot said that the portrait of the British Monarch is “not just a creative act, but it’s also a statement about the evolving role of AI in our society.”
The Developing Controversy Over AI and Art
The portrait has generated new debate regarding AI use in creative industries. Opposition claims that AI art undermines the livelihood of traditional artists and habitually employs copyrighted material without permission.
Ai-Da’s creators insist that her artwork is not in the same league as generative AI models trained on enormous datasets without express permission. That still leaves open ethical issues like whether the photographers whose photos were used consented or received any payment.
For instance, a Colorado artist faced a legal battle regarding his artwork ownership and copyright. Jason Claim claimed he spent thousands of hours painting “Théâtre D’opéra Spatial” on Midjourney, yet some people reproduced his artwork without permission.
However, the US Copyright Office did not allow Allen to register the artwork’s copyright because the original creator is Midjourney and not him.
For the coming years, AI-made artworks will be harder to identify from human art, as supported by a study from Bowling Green State University in 2023.
Related Article:
Alexis Ohanian Says Robots Will Handle Your Chores So Parents Can Finally Breathe