Sotheby's integrated an AI-powered image recognition and recommendation system after acquiring the startup Thread Genius in January 2018. The system analyzes artwork images and recommends visually similar works to collectors based on their taste preferences.

Thread Genius was a startup specializing in taste-based image recognition and recommendation technologies, using deep learning techniques and artificial neural networks originally developed for the fashion industry. After the acquisition, its team was embedded at Sotheby's headquarters in New York to build an AI-based recommendation engine for the auction house, working alongside the Sotheby's Mei Moses database of over 50,000 repeat auction sales. The stated goal was to help match objects, individual preferences, and price points more efficiently, improving client experience and expanding access to collectors at all price points.