Grand Prize at International Photo Exhibition... Refusal to Accept Award for "Created by AI"

A German photographer caused controversy after submitting an image created by artificial intelligence (AI) to an international photography exhibition and winning the top prize, only to reveal belatedly that the work was AI-generated. The artist ultimately declined the award.

On the 17th (local time), according to the British BBC and others, Boris Eldachsen, a German artist who won the Creative category grand prize at one of the world's largest photography competitions, the '2023 Sony World Photography Awards (SWPA),' said, "I submitted (the AI work) to stir controversy" and refused the award.

He submitted a black-and-white photograph depicting a young woman and an elderly woman together. The work is titled 'The Electrician,' showing the elderly woman holding the young woman's shoulder from behind, gazing somewhere.

A part of the AI image "Jeongi-gong" (The Electrician) submitted by Boris Eldakjen. [Image source=Twitter]

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After the work was selected as the winner, Eldachsen revealed that it was an AI-generated piece. He posted a statement on a website he operates, saying, "AI images and photographs should not compete against each other in such award ceremonies. They are fundamentally different entities," and "AI is not photography. Therefore, I will not accept the award."

He also stated that he submitted the AI image to see if photography exhibitions were ready to accept such works. Eldachsen questioned, "Is the realm of photography broad enough to include AI images? Or was (my award) a mistake?" and added, "I hope that by refusing the award, this debate will accelerate."

He further claimed that he had expressed his desire to hold a public discussion about AI images to the organizers before the ceremony, but it was ultimately canceled. The World Photography Organization (WPO), which hosted the competition, stated, "As he (Eldachsen) decided to refuse the award, we have ceased activities with him and excluded him from this competition."

Meanwhile, photographer and blogger Peroz Khan wrote on his blog about the incident, saying, "Most people have difficulty distinguishing between AI-generated images and photographs," and "In a few months, it will become even harder to discern important differences without close examination."

He continued, "While it is true that Eldachsen submitted an AI image to the contest, it does not seem that he intended to deceive anyone," and "It seems he wanted to emphasize that this is an issue requiring everyone's attention."

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