First artwork by humanoid robot sells for over US$1mil

'Ai-Da', an ultra-realistic robot paints an image during a photocall in central London. — AFP

A portrait of English mathematician Alan Turing became the first artwork by a humanoid robot to be sold at auction, fetching more than US$1mil on Thursday.

The 2.2-metre portrait "A.I. God" by "Ai-Da", the world's first ultra-realistic robot artist, went for US$1,084,800, smashing pre-sale expectations of US$180,000 at auction house Sotheby's Digital Art Sale.