Photographer Boris Eldagsen has turned down a Sony World Photography Award, which he was awarded last week, after admitting that the image he submitted was created by artificial intelligence. Eldagsen, a German artist, said he applied to the competition as a “cheeky monkey” to find out if the awards were prepared for AI images to enter, and concluded that they were not. He argued that AI-generated images should not compete with traditional photography as they are fundamentally different.
Eldagsen published a detailed account of his conversations with award organisers, where he repeatedly asked why they had failed to reveal that his image had been created using AI. A spokesperson for the World Photography Organisation said that Eldagsen had made the admission before he was announced as the winner, and that they were satisfied he had fulfilled the entry criteria.
Artificial intelligence has rapidly developed in recent months, with the introduction of language models like ChatGPT and software that can drive cars, write essays and generate images. While AI is gaining traction in the creative industries, its relationship with traditional art forms remains contentious.
The World Photography Organisation said that it had been looking forward to engaging in a more in-depth discussion about AI-generated images and photography, and had prepared questions for a dedicated Q&A with Eldagsen for its website. However, the organisation has now suspended its activities with Eldagsen and removed him from the competition. A spokesperson said that the relations between the two had soured, and that Eldagsen’s deliberate attempts at misleading them had invalidated the warranties he provided, making it impossible to engage in meaningful and constructive dialogue.
