AI-Generated Photo Wins International Contest, Creator Declines
In an era of rapid technological change, another historic event in photography has occurred.
German photographer Boris Eldagsen won the prestigious Sony World Photography Award in the Creative category, but declined the prize due to the use of an AI image generation model in creating his work.
The winning piece, titled 'Pseudomnesia: The Electrician', was created using the AI image generation model DALL-E 2, developed by OpenAI, a Bay Area company known for developing ChatGPT.
© Boris Eldagsen 'Pseudomnesia: The Electrician'
Sony's Creative category praised and welcomed the experimental approach of using AI for image creation. According to the official statement, they were aware that the work was generated by AI.
However, Eldagsen denied this claim and left the following words (originally in English).
How many people knew or suspected it was an AI-generated image? Something feels off, doesn't it? AI images and photographs should not compete in such awards. They are different entities. AI is not photography. Therefore, I will not accept this award.
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We in the photography world need an open discussion about what is considered photography and what is not.
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I want to accelerate this discussion by refusing this award.
©︎ Boris Eldagsen
This incident can be seen as having significant historical importance in accelerating the discussion about the implications of AI-generated photography, as Eldagsen intended.
