AI-Generated Image Wins Photography Contest, Winner Refuses Award

Boris Eldagsen's AI image titled 'Pseudomnesia: The Electrician' featured women from different generations.

German artist, Boris Eldagsen submitted an AI-generated picture in the photography competition. 

(Photo Courtesy: Instagram/ @boriseldagsen) 

Artificial Intelligence has become a hot topic these days. As technology advances and more people have access to AI, the lines between 'what is artificial' and 'what is real', are gradually blurring.

In a similar attempt, a German artist, Boris Eldagsen submitted a picture at Sony World Photography Awards 2023, and won a prize. 

But later, refused to accept the award as he revealed that his submission was actually an AI-generated image, and not a real photograph.

Boris Eldagsen's submission called 'Pseudomnesia: The Electrician’

(Photo Courtesy: Instagram/ @boriseldagsen)

Eldagsen's image titled 'Pseudomnesia: The Electrician' featured black-and-white images of two women from different generations.

After it was announced as the winner of the creative category, Eldagsen refused the award and said, "Thank you for selecting my image and making this a historic moment, as it is the first AI-generated image to win in a prestigious international PHOTOGRAPHY competition,".  

"How many of you knew or suspected that it was AI generated? Something about this doesn't feel right, does it?," he added in his statement.

He further clarified that his intention for submitting an AI-generated picture was to 'fasten the discussion' around what should be considered an ideal photography, and also if AI images could be categorised under the umbrella of photography.

Countering his claims, the organisers of the photography competition said that Eldagsen misled them about the degree of AI that would be applied in the pictures.

(With inputs from ZeeNews)