‘Robot whisperer’ trains AI-powered ‘dogs’ to PAINT abstract paintings that resemble human pieces selling for more than $2,000 at auction… Can YOU spot the machines’ designs?
The 'Robot Whisperer' has used her artistic skills to train a new generation of painters – AI robot dogs.
Agnieszka Pilat spent months teaching three four-legged machines developed by Boston Dynamics to hold paintbrushes in their âmouthsâ and move them across a large canvas, transforming paint into abstract shapes.
Bilat, from Poland, recently opened a new exhibition called âHeterobota,â featuring 36 stand-alone paintings resembling human artworks that are currently selling for more than $2,000 at auction.
The robots have created artwork inspired by artists such as the angular style of Jean-Michel Basquiat's artwork and Cy Twombly's line-based paintings, but one piece looks like this $2,900 one by Mutlu Ertak.
Billat is an artist-in-residence at SpaceX and works with the industrial design team to create paintings focused on the company's mission to advance space exploration.
Agnieszka Pilat's robotic dogs, Basia, Bunny (pictured above), and Fania's paintings are on display at an exhibition in Australia
!['Robot whisperer' trains AI-powered 'dogs' to PAINT abstract paintings that resemble human pieces selling for more than $2,000 at auction... Can YOU spot the machines' designs? 2 Robotic dogs are trained using artificial intelligence to hold a paintbrush and create works of art autonomously](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/1704304225_565_Robot-whisperer-trains-AI-powered-dogs-to-PAINT-abstract-paintings-that.jpg)
Robotic dogs are trained using artificial intelligence to hold a paintbrush and create works of art autonomously
SpaceX doesn't have a formal artist-in-residence program, but Billat said she wanted to work with the company to “give technology a voice.”
âIt took some convincing, finding the right connections, and presenting a vision that aligned with the mission of space exploration,â she said. Interested in trade.
Three sites called Basia, Omuzana 'Vanya' and Bunny began their four-month residency at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) in Melbourne, Australia last month. The exhibition continues until April 7.
The NGV display space contains cubes with QR codes that tell the robotic dogs where they are in the room while drawing.
There is also a special place inside the museum for the three robotic dogs to âsleepâ and recharge their energy.
“As for the order in which they work and the content of the message, that's all automatically generated, and I don't control or supervise it,” Bilat told Business Insider.
!['Robot whisperer' trains AI-powered 'dogs' to PAINT abstract paintings that resemble human pieces selling for more than $2,000 at auction... Can YOU spot the machines' designs? 4 1704304228 653 Robot whisperer trains AI powered dogs to PAINT abstract paintings that](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/1704304228_653_Robot-whisperer-trains-AI-powered-dogs-to-PAINT-abstract-paintings-that.jpg)
Victor Passmore created this painting called âAbstraction in Black, White and Ocherâ in 1958.
!['Robot whisperer' trains AI-powered 'dogs' to PAINT abstract paintings that resemble human pieces selling for more than $2,000 at auction... Can YOU spot the machines' designs? 6 This painting was created by Spot the robot dog](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/1704304231_77_Robot-whisperer-trains-AI-powered-dogs-to-PAINT-abstract-paintings-that.jpg)
This painting was created by Spot the robot dog
Although Bilat works with robots every day, she told The Guardian that she still doesn't fully understand them, so she's working with Boston Dynamics engineers to shape the robot dogs' personalities.
Together, Bilat and the engineers use artificial intelligence, software, and machine learning to train the robots and even use Basia as a surrogate pet, often taking him for walks around New York.
Basia is the âserious one,â Bilat told The Guardian, adding that the robot dog will paint about one painting every three days, while Vanya is the âmother of the groupâ and wanders around the studio.
Meanwhile, the rabbit's ego often wins out, and he will constantly pose in front of a wall designed to take selfies.
!['Robot whisperer' trains AI-powered 'dogs' to PAINT abstract paintings that resemble human pieces selling for more than $2,000 at auction... Can YOU spot the machines' designs? 8 This painting was created by Spot the robot dog](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/1704304233_60_Robot-whisperer-trains-AI-powered-dogs-to-PAINT-abstract-paintings-that.jpg)
This painting was created by Spot the robot dog
!['Robot whisperer' trains AI-powered 'dogs' to PAINT abstract paintings that resemble human pieces selling for more than $2,000 at auction... Can YOU spot the machines' designs? 10 Canadian artist William Ronald created this untitled painting in 1953](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/1704304237_440_Robot-whisperer-trains-AI-powered-dogs-to-PAINT-abstract-paintings-that.jpg)
Canadian artist William Ronald created this untitled painting in 1953
Billat said she has always wanted to work with artificial intelligence to create a new kind of artwork that she hopes will be viewed in the coming years through the same lens that historians view cave drawings.
“I like to think of these paintings as ancient manuscripts or cave drawings,” Pilat told Business Insider.
We may be witnessing the birth of a new civilization, and with it a new language; âIt was probably the first attempt at communication,â she added.
It took Billat four months to work with the robotic dogs, but she previously said the mechanical Picasso was not intended to replace human creators.
This is because their artwork is more comparable to A A kindergarten girl is learning to draw, she said, adding that there is a “sense of spontaneity and fun in the paintings.”
!['Robot whisperer' trains AI-powered 'dogs' to PAINT abstract paintings that resemble human pieces selling for more than $2,000 at auction... Can YOU spot the machines' designs? 12 1704304240 833 Robot whisperer trains AI powered dogs to PAINT abstract paintings that](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/1704304240_833_Robot-whisperer-trains-AI-powered-dogs-to-PAINT-abstract-paintings-that.jpg)
Turkish-born artist Mutlu Ertak created this painting titled âYellow on Black Board.â
!['Robot whisperer' trains AI-powered 'dogs' to PAINT abstract paintings that resemble human pieces selling for more than $2,000 at auction... Can YOU spot the machines' designs? 14 This painting was created by Spot the robot dog](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/1704304244_960_Robot-whisperer-trains-AI-powered-dogs-to-PAINT-abstract-paintings-that.jpg)
This painting was created by Spot the robot dog
Regarding her experience with robotic dogs, Bilat said on her website: âWorking in close contact with a robot gives the impression of an encounter with another mind; the robot seems to have power.
She continued: âThis experience contradicts expectations for reliable and predictable operation of machines.
âWhen a robot repeatedly fails a task, the human observer may feel the pain of empathy.
That's been my experience with Digit and Spot. Ironically, they taught me about humanity.
Bilat, who grew up in Lodz, Poland, said listening to Radio Free Europe with a group of adults in a closed room gave her a unique appreciation for technology that others may not have.
âTechnology has given my father hope,â Bilat told The Guardian.
âI really feel like technology has always been there for me. Now there's a lot of discomfort with technology, and I feel like I'm in debt to repay my old friend.
Dailymail.com has contacted Bellat and the National Gallery of Victoria for comment.
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