Artificial Intelligence Begins to Create Art

Traversing that valley of ashes known as the Spanish contemporary art market, higher up in the Alps, Art Basel (Art Basel, 2025) wrapped up another edition of significant sales last June. Switzerland is a haven for gallery owners. Secure transactions abound, despite geopolitical issues, the war in Ukraine, the Middle East, or Trump’s tariffs. Private jets continue to land with major collectors. However, this year there was a difference: artificial intelligence has arrived. It allows instant access to the final price of any artwork auctioned worldwide. Collectors use it to understand the residual values because the data they collect comes solely from auctions, as gallery prices are not shared with these platforms. Emerging artists, for example, are excluded. There, the cost is negotiated directly between the gallery owner and the client while they engage in the language of money.

Jorge Pérez (Cuban-American), a leading real estate developer on the East Coast of the U.S., and his wife, Darlene, a hepatologist and granddaughter of a Canarian grandmother, are among the most anticipated collectors and patrons at Basel. They buy extensively. Pérez carries a phone with a dark plastic cover, where he organizes references to the artworks he owns by artist name. On that device, there are hundreds of pieces. If he spots something of interest, he sends it to his curation team led by Patricia Hanna (who has her own museum, Pérez Art Museum Miami or PAMM, along with Space 23). On the mobile phone resides one of the largest private collections of contemporary art globally, owned by one of the wealthiest Latin Americans (valued at $2.6 billion, around €2.2 billion, according to Forbes).

This year in Basel — he reveals — he acquired 24 pieces valued at $643,904 (€549,800). Two works by American painter Wade Guyton (Indiana, 1972) remain unaccounted for, which could double that figure, along with a mural by Peruvian Claudia Martínez Garay (Conversations, 2025). The terminal provides them with the necessary information from past auctions. “It’s a tool that offers a series of data, although choices are still made with the heart,” Pérez narrates while viewing a piece in the Art Unlimited section, showcasing the largest installations.

For several years, it has become common to see collectors like Jorge Pérez and his wife utilizing comparators. However, artificial intelligence has emerged with more curiosity than power. The platform MutualArt.com is one of these applications that employs AI. It claims to be the only one in the market. “AI will affect art purchasing in many ways, mainly through its ability to identify and classify data in unprecedented forms, and through unlimited access to literature, history, and art prices,” reflects Tal Yahav, product director at MutualArt.com. He adds, “The most significant impact is AI’s ability to capture the essence of a work of art by identifying its main motifs, objects, and styles. Subsequently, vast sources of artistic information can be accessed for classification.” Another advantage is the ease of quickly knowing, based on repeated sales history, the price of the same work or similar pieces.

Artificial intelligence will not reduce speculation about artists and remains far from predicting the future of a creator or a work. “However, these platforms do not replace experience and knowledge, so novice collectors should not rely solely on AI,” warns Monica Heslington, head of art and collecting at Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management. “They should also consult experts who provide context to the pricing data and background information that AI offers, and who can analyze if there are any potential issues with provenance, authenticity, or conservation state.”

It’s the age-old demand of the traditional connoisseur. “They are useful references, but they are essentially just that, references; choices will always take more into account than possible economic predictions,” observes Maribel López, director of ArcoMadrid. Collector Paco Cantos (who owns 450 works) uses the platform Artsy. “It’s a guide; in the end, I make the decision. The only intelligence I trust is in my own choices and mistakes,” he concludes. It’s art, not mathematics.