AI and Appraisals in the Art World
Will AI Replace Appraisers and How it Impacts our Profession.
The world is abuzz about the use of AI and how it may replace some professions. A hot button topic is the use of AI in appraising. The media purports that AI will soon replace appraisers, revolutionizing our industry. We wanted to review some of the developments, concerns, upsides, and best practices regarding the use of AI in our field.
This past November, at the annual Of Value Conference hosted by the Appraisers Association of America, Tobias Czudej, AAA, Czudej McDonough, moderated a panel titled “AI and the Future of Art Valuations: Practical Applications and Professional Standards.” Czudej aptly said “AI provides breadth (computation processing across thousands of data points), the appraiser provides depth (professional interpretation, market intelligence, accountability).”
We agree with Czudej and employ AI in our firm’s appraisal practice in the following ways:
Data processing
Research synthesis
Pattern recognition
Compliance
However, there are integral aspects of professional appraisal practice that must stay entirely human:
Connoisseurship
Judgement
Interpretation
Ranking
Context ethics
Subject matter competence
Accountability
Overall, AI will not replace appraisers, rather, AI is a useful tool to aid appraisers in their practice.
The Importance of the Human Element in Appraising
Missing the Human Element AI struggles with subjective factors—emotional impact, provenance, cultural resonance, collector sentiment.
Data Quality & Market Opacity The art market's lack of transparency limits AI effectiveness. AI systems lack the comprehensive datasets needed to identify genuine market patterns.
Bias Perpetuation AI trained on historical data risks amplifying decades of bias favoring Western, white male artists. Systems trained primarily on auction data perpetuate existing inequalities rather than democratizing the market.
The "Black Box" Problem Deep learning developers often can't explain how algorithms reach conclusions. This opacity erodes trust in a field built on expertise and credibility.