Beeple’s “Regular Animals” uses AI-styled robot dogs to show how tech billionaires’ algorithms may shape what we see—and how museums respond.
Berlin’s New National Gallery is inviting visitors to look a little closer at the machines now influencing everyday reality.
Robot dogs with hyper-realistic silicone heads modeled after major tech and cultural figures—Elon Musk. Mark Zuckerberg. Jeff Bezos. Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso among them—are roaming through a Berlin gallery as part of American digital artist Beeple’s interactive installation. “Regular Animals.” The animals occasionally “poo” printed images of their surroundings. using integrated cameras to capture what they see. then transforming those scenes with AI into styles meant to echo the personalities of the figures on their shoulders.
The exhibition’s premise is both playful and pointed: each printed image is a fragment of reality reshaped by algorithmic style.. A “Picasso dog” produces visuals in a Cubist manner; a “Warhol dog” leans toward pop-art sensibilities.. Behind the novelty is a broader argument from Beeple and the show’s organizers—that people increasingly experience the world through technological filters. not just through traditional creative interpretation.
“That’s an immense amount of power that I don’t think we’ve fully understood. ” Beeple said in describing how today’s platforms can change what viewers see without the familiar friction of political systems.. In his framing. the comparison isn’t only about art versus technology; it’s about how influence works when it’s embedded in software rather than delivered through debates. legislation. or public appeals.
The installation is staged as a kind of real-time lesson in perception.. In place of a conventional gallery wall. the visitor becomes a participant in an ongoing loop: the robot dog collects the scene. the system renders it through an AI model tied to a recognizable “worldview. ” and the result lands as a printed artifact.. The effect is quick. sensory. and strangely memorable—like being shown how easily a familiar place can be reinterpreted when the rules are hidden in code.
From a cultural standpoint. the work lands in a moment when the question of who controls the “lens” on modern life has grown sharper.. Museums. curators argue. are one of the few public spaces where society can pause and reflect on the transformations happening around it—especially when those transformations are powered by private platforms and proprietary technologies.. In Berlin. curator Lisa Botti described AI as one of the forces most affecting daily life. and positioned Beeple’s show as a way to give that influence a visible. discussable form.
The dogs also wear heads in Beeple’s own image. turning the artist into one more algorithmic reference point inside the installation.. It’s an addition that nudges viewers toward another uncomfortable thought: the machine doesn’t just mimic “billionaires” or “masters of art. ” it also collapses identity into a style engine—suggesting that personality itself can be rendered as a set of recognizable outputs.
“Regular Animals” is not a first-time experiment.. The work was previously shown at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2025. part of a wider run of Beeple’s high-profile. high-attention digital art practice.. Beeple. whose real name is Mike Winkelmann. is known for graphic design and for building an online habit of posting a digital picture every day without missing a day.. Over time, that discipline became part of his brand, and his presence in major art-market discussions followed.
The installation also connects to the long, winding story of digital art’s attempt to become collectible in mainstream institutions.. Beeple’s market profile has included major auction milestones tied to NFTs. the blockchain-based identifiers that certify authenticity for digital works.. Earlier. his digital collage “Everydays: The First 5000 Days” drew extensive attention after it sold for more than $69 million. an outcome that helped cement the idea that purely digital creations could move through traditional auction formats.
At Art Basel 2025. Beeple reportedly distributed photos “pooed” by the dogs to attendees along with certificates. and some prints included QR codes linking to additional collectible opportunities.. The mechanics—free distribution paired with potential monetization—fit the broader theme of the exhibit: how systems can disguise themselves as entertainment while still producing incentives. value. and momentum in the background.
The bigger question now is how visitors carry the message out of the gallery.. If a dog can translate a real scene into a stylized worldview based on a “head” model. what does that imply about the images people see online every day—curated by recommendations. reshaped by engagement metrics. and optimized for the behaviors those systems predict?
By turning “algorithmic perception” into something physical—camera-to-print, code-to-style—Beeple’s show doesn’t just critique technology.. It makes the critique experiential. giving visitors a repeatable mental experiment: swap the “figure” on the robot. and watch the same environment become something else.