Robot dogs equipped with hyper-realistic silicone heads modelled after world-renowned figures such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Andy Warhol, and Pablo Picasso are currently roaming a Berlin gallery. These mechanical canines occasionally ‘poo’ printed images of their surroundings, which they have previously captured using integrated cameras.
Interactive Installation by Beeple
The animals form part of an interactive installation by American artist Beeple (Mike Winkelmann), now showing at Berlin's New National Gallery. Each printed image depicts a snippet of reality transformed by artificial intelligence to reflect the personality of the dog—or, more precisely, the worldview of the human figure on its shoulders. For instance, the Picasso dog produces images in Cubist style, while the Warhol dog creates pop art pieces.
Commentary on Algorithmic Influence
The exhibition organisers describe the work as a commentary on how our perceptions are shaped by algorithms and technology platforms. “In the past, our view of the world was shaped in part by how artists saw the world,” Beeple told the Associated Press. “How Picasso painted changed how we saw the world; how Warhol talked about consumerism and pop culture changed how he saw those things.”
Now, our view of the world is shaped by tech billionaires who own powerful algorithms that decide what we see and what we do not see, the artist added. “That's an immense amount of power that I don't think we've fully understood, especially because when they want to make a change, they don't need to lobby the UN. They don't need to get something through Congress or the EU; they just wake up and change these algorithms.”
Exhibition Details
The dogs also wear heads in Beeple's own image. Lisa Botti, the curator of the exhibition in Berlin, stated that artificial intelligence is one of the most impactful phenomena in our lives today and that “museums are the places where society can reflect” on such transformations, which is why she wanted to showcase Beeple's work. The piece, titled “Regular Animals,” was first shown at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2025.
About Beeple
Beeple is a graphic designer from South Carolina who produces a variety of digital artwork. He is one of the founders of the “everyday” movement in 3D graphics: for years, he has created a picture every day and posted it online without missing a single day. According to Christie's, he is the third most expensive living artist to sell at auction, after David Hockney and Jeff Koons.
In spring 2021, Christie's opened bidding for Beeple's digital collage titled “Everydays: The First 5000 Days,” with the sale ultimately closing at over $69 million. The auction house described the artwork as “critiques of modern society, the government and social media” in the form of “grotesque, dystopian futures, often featuring celebrities like Donald Trump and Kanye West.”
NFTs and Cryptocurrency
Christie's said the sale marked the first time a major auction house offered a digital-only artwork with a non-fungible token (NFT) as a guarantee of its authenticity, as well as the first time cryptocurrency was used to pay for an artwork at auction. NFTs are electronic identifiers confirming a digital collectible is real by recording the details on a digital ledger known as a blockchain. The tokens have swept the online collecting world, an offshoot of the boom in cryptocurrencies.
At the Art Basel 2025 event, Beeple gave away the photos ‘pooed’ by his dogs to audience members, accompanied by a certificate reading “100% organic GMO-free dog shit.” Some prints had QR codes that gave access to free NFTs, effectively meaning Beeple was giving away his digital art for free for people—sometimes the subjects of the photos themselves—to potentially monetise.
