- By Paul Glynn
- entertainment reporter
April 17, 2023 at 12:44 p.m. CET
Updated 1 hour ago
Image source Boris Eldagsen
picture description,
Can you tell this is not a real photo?
The winner of a major photography award has turned down his award after revealing his work was in fact an AI creation.
German artist Boris Eldagsen’s entry, Pseudomnesia: The Electrician, won last week’s Sony World Photography Awards in the Creative Open category.
He said he used the image to test out the competition and spark a discussion about the future of photography.
Prize organizers told BBC News Eldagsen misled them about the extent of AI that would be involved.
In a statement shared on his website, Eldagsen admitted he had been a “cheeky monkey” and thanked the judges for “picking my picture and making this a historic moment” while asking if one of them “knew or suspected it was AI. generated”.
“AI imagery and photography should not compete for an award like this,” he continued.
“They are different entities. AI is not photography. That’s why I won’t accept the award.”
The image in question featured a haunting black and white portrait of two women from different generations.
But as Eldagsen pointed out in his statement: “Something about it doesn’t feel right, does it?” Of course, the certain something is the fact that it’s not a real photo at all, but a synthetically generated image.
The use of AI in everything from song and essay writing to driverless cars, chat box therapists and the development of medicine has been widely discussed in recent months. now its usefulness around photography has come into focus.
Image source Boris Eldagsen
picture description,
Boris Eldagsen said he used the image to create an “open discussion”.
A spokesman for the World Photography Organization, the photography arm of arts event organizers Creo, said that during their discussions with the artist before he was announced as the winner, he confirmed that the piece was a “co-creation” of his image AI.
He noted his interest in “the creative possibilities of AI generators,” they added, while “the emphasis on the image relies heavily on his rich photographic knowledge.
“The creative category of the open competition welcomes diverse experimental approaches to image making, from cyanotypes and rayographies to innovative digital practices,” they said.
“Therefore, after our correspondence with Boris and the guarantees he gave, we felt that his entry met the criteria for this category and we supported his participation.
“Furthermore, we looked forward to an in-depth discussion on the subject and welcomed Boris’ desire for dialogue by preparing questions for a dedicated Q&A with him for our website.”
They continued: “Now that he has decided to decline his award, we have ceased our activities with him and, in accordance with his wishes, have withdrawn him from the competition.”
They said they “recognized the importance of this issue [AI] and its impact on imaging today,” but emphasized that the awards “always have been, and will continue to be, a platform to promote the excellence and skill of photographers and artists working in this medium.”
Analysis by Chris Vallance, BBC Senior Technology Reporter
When an AI-generated image won a state art competition in the US last September, it sparked a debate that has raged ever since.
Meanwhile, the power of technology seems to be increasing week by week.
Photographers and artists who used to take solace in pointing out the imperfections in AI-generated images — she’s struggling with her hands, for example — are now finding them increasingly difficult to spot.
A photography student who spoke to me at the time worried about whether his projected career would still be around in a few years.
Many artists and photographers have accused AI systems of unfairly exploiting the work of hundreds of thousands of human creators on whom the systems are trained — and some have even taken legal action.
But others see AI as just another tool, a new category of art perhaps, but no less valuable.
Photography itself was once a new and, to some, threatening invention, they point out.
But a number of very basic questions remain unclear, including who owns the copyright to an AI image.
In addition to images, AI has generated a number of unanswered ethical and legal questions.
“I don’t blame Boris”
Eldagsen told the BBC on Monday that he had made it clear to the organizers that he too wanted to have an “open discussion” on the subject publicly much earlier in the awards process, but that it was to no avail.
Photographer and blogger Feroz Khan was particularly interested in how the events of the past week unfolded. And he said he doesn’t blame the artist for showing “there’s a problem in the photography industry.”
“For starters, most people have a hard time distinguishing AI-generated images from photographs (at least at first glance),” he wrote. “In a few months, critical differences will probably become even more difficult to identify if they are not challenged.
“With this in mind, Boris has stated that he would like photo contest organizers to have separate categories for AI images.
“I appreciate that he wanted this award in photo competitions. Yes, he submitted an AI image for the contest, but it doesn’t seem like he’s trying to cheat anyone. He wanted to highlight an issue that certainly deserves a lot more attention from all.”
He concluded that Eldagsen “has shown conclusively that even experienced photographers and art experts can be fooled”.
An exhibition of the winning and nominated images from this year’s Sony World Photography Awards will be held from 14 April to 1 May 2023 at Somerset House, London.