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 NFTs, a digital signature saved
on blockchain ledgers that allows anyone to
verify the ownership and authenticity of items,
have become the latest investment craze, with
one artwork selling this month for nearly $70
million.
Sophia, who was unveiled in 2016, produced her
art in collaboration with 31-year-old Italian
digital artist Andrea Bonaceto, known for
colourful portraits, some of which depict famous
people, such as Tesla's chief executive, Elon
Musk.
The robot has combined elements from Bonaceto's
works, art history and her own physical drawings
or paintings on various surfaces multiple times
in a process her creator David Hanson describes
as "iterative loops of evolution".
Titled "Sophia Instantiation," the digital work
is a 12-second MP4 file showing the evolution of
Bonaceto's portrait into Sophia's digital
painting, and is accompanied by a physical
artwork, painted by Sophia on a printout of her
self-portrait.
"I'm so excited about people's response to new
technologies like robotics ... and am so glad to
be part of these creativities," Sophia, who was
wearing a silver-coloured dress, told Reuters.
The identity of the buyer was not immediately
known.
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 Sophia's creator, Hong
Kong-based David Hanson of Hanson Robotics, said
he was surprised at the pace of the bidding.
"I was kind of astonished to see how fast it
shot up too as the bidding war took place at the
end of the auction. So it was really
exhilarating and stunning," he said.
Art collector and blockchain investor Jehan Chu
believes there's a lot of money waiting to
invest in digital goods and while the digital
art sector is looking frothy right now, he sees
huge potential.
"What we're seeing right now looks like a bit of
a bubble, especially in the NFT art world," Chu
told Reuters.
"At the end of the day, it's very clear that
there is a sea change going on in terms of how
society and how consumers think about digital
goods. And it's pretty astounding where this is
going to lead us."
(Reporting By Joyce Zhou and Michelle Hennesy;
Writing by Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by
Cynthia Osterman and Michael Perry)
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