Nikon has disqualified the video that originally won first place in its Small World in Motion competition, stating it “did not comply with the competition rules regarding generative AI.” The entry, from Dr. Ning Xu, was said to depict tiny hair-like structures called cilia moving in the airway of a child with the respiratory condition PCD.
According to BBC reporting, Nikon began reviewing the video last week after online skepticism about its authenticity. In a LinkedIn comment, Dr. Xu acknowledged using AI, describing an unsupervised neural-network method for AI-assisted post-processing to distinguish and visualize features in the footage.
Why it matters
The disqualification highlights how competitions that reward scientific and photographic authenticity are grappling with the use of generative AI, particularly in post-processing steps that can alter what an image or video appears to show.
Who should care
Researchers, photographers, and organizers of science and imaging competitions should note how AI post-processing can conflict with contest rules and raise authenticity concerns.