German artist Boris Eldagsen rejected a prestigious photography award, revealing that his submission was AI-generated and he was merely trying to spark debate.
The Sony World Photographer Awards announced its 2023 winners back in March, with Eldagsen among them. The photograph (below), titled Electricia, is described in Sony's press release as "a haunting black-and-white portrait of two women from different generations, reminiscent of the visual language of 1940s family portraits."
There's just one problem: it was made using articial intelligence software. Eldagsen admitted as much in a recent blog post, asking readers, "How many of you knew or suspected that it was AI generated? Something about this doesn’t feel right, does it?"
He went on to say that he would not accept the award nor attend the ceremony, as "AI images and photography should not compete with each other in an award like this."
"I applied as a cheeky monkey, to find out, if the comeptitions are prepared for AI images to enter. They are not," he wrote. "We, the photo world, need an open discussion. A discussion about what we want to consider photography and what not. Is the umbrella of photography large enough to invite AI images to enter – or would this be a mistake?"
"With my refusal of the award I hope to speed up this debate," he concluded.
The image has since been removed from the Sony World Photographer Awards website, and Eldagsen wrote in a follow-up that he "hopes" an official statement form the organization is imminent.
The news comes as controversy continues to swirl around the use of AI software in creative industries, which IGN will be taking a closer look at over the course of its AI Week, starting today. For more, check out how AI became the new battlefield in the animation industry and how a roundtable of how experts think it could affect games.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
