Artist robot Ai-Da detained in Egypt on suspicion of espionage
A robot with a flair for the arts was detained at the Egyptian border for 10 days ahead of a major exhibition.
Ai-Da was set to present her artworks at the foot of the pyramids of Giza: the first ever art exhibition held in the historic area.
The show, titled Forever is Now, is an annual event organised by Art D’Égypte to support the art and culture scene in Egypt.
Ai-Da’s digitally created artworks, and her presence at the event, was set to be the highlight of the show.
However, Egyptian officials grew concerned when she arrived as her eyes feature cameras and an internet modem.
Because of Ai-Da’s technology, officials at the Egyptian border grew concerned that she had been sent to the country as part of an espionage conspiracy.
According to The Guardian, British officials had to work intensively to get Ai-Da out of detainment before the beginning of the art show,
Egyptian officials offered to let Ai-Da free if she had some of her gadgetry removed, to which Aiden Meller, Ai-Da’s creator, refused.
They offered to remove her eyes as a security measure, but Aiden insisted that she uses her eyes to create her artwork.
She was eventually released, with her eyes intact, and the show went ahead as scheduled.
Ai-Da is able to make unique art thanks to specially designed technology developed by researchers at Oxford and Leeds University.
Ai-Da’s key algorithm converts images she captures with her camera-eyes and converts them to drawings.
The robot can also paint portraits, as her creators allowed her technology to analyse colours and techniques used by successful human artists.
Image credits: Getty Images