Christie’s, one of the world’s leading fine art and luxury auction houses, announced a partnership with the Web3 payment solution MoonPay to introduce a fusion of art, artificial intelligence and Web3 technology at the upcoming eighth Art + Tech Summit.
The collaboration will leverage MoonPay’s new “Web3 Tools” production to provide the technical function for a gamified digital art experience. The initiative also involved the Web3 agency Otherlife.
AI-generated nudes
It builds on the legacy of AI art pioneer Robbie Barrat, whom Christie’s previously commissioned to create the “Lost Robbies” collection, and comprises 300 unique AI-generated nude portraits.
Digital art pieces will be showcased at key moments throughout the summit. Each artwork is designed to embody the four central themes of this year’s summit: “AI in Real Life,” “Art and its Market,” “Thoughtful Luxury,” and “New Paradigms in Technology.”
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Keith Grossman, president of enterprise at MoonPay, said the company is “proud” to be a support to Christie’s in pioneering “the future of creativity and innovation” through cryptocurrency-powered auction transactions.
“Culture will ultimately drive the mass adoption of Web3, and art is incredibly influential in how our culture will evolve to embrace these new, disruptive technologies.”
The collaboration will be showcased at an event at Rockefeller Center in New York on July 17 and 18, 2024. Attendees who scan and collect all four art pieces during the summit will receive a special, complimentary gift via airdrop from Christie’s Artist Partner, Niceaunties.
Everyone’s into AI
MoonPay joins the ranks of many Web3-native companies continuing to bridge the industry with emerging AI technologies.
Leading Web3 companies like SingularityNET, Filecoin and Tether have all expanded their operations in recent months to include AI in their growth strategies.
Other companies in the decentralized space have turned to AI to address marketing challenges, while exchanges like Robinhood and others have integrated AI trading tools for users into their platforms.
However, AI’s entry into the Web3 realm has been met with skepticism. Some industry observers speculate that corporate-level AI could undermine the foundations of Web3 and decentralization.
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