Artists should take comfort in the knowledge that their creative abilities are still tough to duplicate in a society when the worry of losing jobs to robots is becoming more and more common. However, a recent film displaying Ameca’s artistic prowess—the self-described “world’s most advanced” humanoid robot—has piqued curiosity.
Developed by Engineered Arts, a Cornwall-based startup, Ameca possesses lifelike qualities, capable of executing a wide range of facial expressions that mirror those of a real person. The video, posted on Engineered Arts’ YouTube channel, demonstrates Ameca’s artistic prowess as she embarks on the task of drawing a ‘cute-looking’ cat.
As she wields a marker pen and whiteboard, Ameca commences her artwork, taking a moment to express her admiration for felines. She remarks on the special bond humans share with cats, highlighting their ability to provide comfort and joy in various situations.
After approximately 30 seconds, Ameca proudly declares her masterpiece complete and eagerly awaits feedback from the researcher present. When he suggests the drawing is ‘kind of sketchy,’ Ameca responds with a touch of sass, implying that a lack of appreciation might be due to a lack of understanding of art itself.
The robot utilizes a deep learning, text-to-image model known as Stable Diffusion to create her drawings. She explains her process, involving the generation of a drawing image through the Stable Diffusion neural network project. The image is then skeltonized and vectorized before being executed on the canvas through carefully planned trajectories.
While Ameca’s cat drawing is relatively basic, her newfound ability has garnered praise from fans. Commenters on YouTube have marveled at the refinement in her stroke technique, likening it to that of an actual sketch artist. Some have even admitted that her work surpasses their own artistic endeavors, applauding the advancements in robotic capabilities.
This example suggests that human creativity still seems to be able to hold its own against automation in the artistic field. Ameca’s artwork is a stunning illustration of the advancements being made in the field of robotics, even though it may not yet be on par with that of a talented human artist. The question of whether robots can completely duplicate the complexities of human artwork remains unresolved as technology develops. For the time being, artists can find solace in the fact that their artistic abilities continue to be a unique and beloved component of the human experience.