A prize-winning black-and-white photo entered in a competition was revealed to be AI generated, as its submitter tried to make a statement about the use of artificial intelligence in art and photography.
German artist Boris Eldagsen submitted a vintage-style image that showed an elder woman holding on to the shoulders of a younger woman. He won a prize for the image at the Sony World Photography Awards, but revealed that the image was generated with AI.
Prize winning photo is AI generated, reveals German artist | Photo Credit: Boris Eldagsen
Eldagsen claimed he hoped to start a conversation about AI and its use in art. However, he said on his website that he would not accept the award as he did not believe that AI and photography were comparable.
“How many of you knew or suspected that it was AI generated? Something about this doesn’t feel right, does it? AI images and photography should not compete with each other in an award like this. They are different entities. AI is not photography. Therefore I will not accept the award,” he said in a statement.
The image in question has several signs of it being AI-generated, such as strangely shaped fingers, and fingernails that are popping out of the hand.
Eldagsen suggested donating the prize he had rejected to a photography festival in Ukraine.
