In a shocking turn of events, the winner of a prestigious photography award declined the prize after admitting that his winning piece was actually an AI-generated creation.
German artist Boris Eldagsen took home the top prize in the creative, open category at the recent Sony World Photography Awards with his entry, Pseudomnesia: The Electrician. He later revealed that he submitted the piece as a test for the competition, aiming to spark a conversation about the future of photography.
The award organisers told the press that Eldagsen misled them about the extent of AI involvement in his work. In a statement on his website, the artist cheekily thanked the judges for “selecting my image and making this a historic moment” while also questioning if any of them “knew or suspected that it was AI-generated.”
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Eldagsen explained that AI images and photography should not be competing with each other in a contest like this, as they are fundamentally different. “AI is not photography. Therefore I will not accept the award,” he declared.
The AI photograph that Eldagsen submitted to the Sony World Photography Awards and won
The winning image featured a striking black-and-white portrait of two women from different generations. But as Eldagsen noted in his statement, “Something about this doesn’t feel right, does it?” He was referring to the fact that the image is not a real photograph but a synthetically-produced one.
The use of AI in various fields, including songwriting, driverless cars, chatbot therapy, and medical research, has stirred debate in recent months. Its appropriateness and usefulness in photography, particularly in deepfakes, has come under scrutiny.
A spokesperson for the World Photography Organisation, part of art events organiser Creo, said that Eldagsen had described his entry as a “co-creation” using AI before the announcement. The artist expressed his interest in “the creative possibilities of AI generators,” emphasising that the image heavily relied on his extensive photographic knowledge.
The spokesperson said that the organisation believed Eldagsen’s entry met the criteria for the creative category, which welcomes various experimental approaches to image-making. They added that they were excited to engage in a more in-depth discussion on the topic and had even prepared questions for a dedicated Q&A with Eldagsen for their website.
However, since Eldagsen has chosen to decline the award, the organisation has suspended their activities with him and removed him from the competition, respecting his wishes. They acknowledged the significance of AI’s impact on image-making but emphasized their commitment to championing the excellence and skill of photographers and artists working in the medium.
