2023-04-18 12:43:26
- Par Paul Glynn
- Entertainment journalist
Photo credit, Boris Eldagsen
Can you tell this is not a real photograph?
The photography grand prize winner turned down his award after revealing his work was actually an AI creation.
German artist Boris Eldagsen’s work, titled Pseudomnesia: The Electrician, won the Creative Open category at last week’s Sony World Photography Award.
He said he used the photo to test out the contest and create discussion about the future of photography.
Prize organizers told BBC News that Eldagsen had misled them about the extent of the AI that would be involved.
In a statement shared on his website, Eldagsen admitted he had been a “cheeky ape”, thanking the judges for “choosing my image and making it a historic moment”, while wondering if the one of them “knew or suspected it was AI-generated”.
“AI images and photography shouldn’t compete in a prize like this,” he continued.
“They are different entities. AI is not photography. Therefore, I will not accept the award.”
The image in question showed a haunting black and white portrait of two women from different generations.
But as Eldagsen pointed out in his statement, “Something about that is wrong, isn’t it?” That something, of course, being the fact that it’s not a real photograph at all – but a synthetically produced image.
The use of AI in everything from songwriting and essay writing to driverless cars, instant messaging therapists and the development of medicine has been widely debated in recent months; now its relevance and usefulness regarding photography – especially deepfakes – has become apparent.
A spokesperson for the World Photography Organization, the photography arm of arts event organizers Creo, said that in their discussions with the artist, before he was announced as the winner, he confirmed that the piece was a “co-creation” of his image using AI.
He noted his interest in “the creative possibilities of AI generators”, they added, while “pointing out that the image relies heavily on his wealth of photographic knowledge”.
Photo credit, Boris Eldagsen
Boris Eldagsen said he used the image because he wanted to create an ‘open discussion’
“The creative category of the open competition welcomes various experimental approaches to image creation, from cyanotypes and rayographs to cutting-edge digital practices,” they said.
“Thus, following our correspondence with Boris and the guarantees he provided, we considered that his candidacy met the criteria for this category, and we supported his participation.
“Furthermore, we were eager to engage in a more in-depth discussion on this topic and welcomed Boris’ desire for dialogue by preparing questions for a dedicated Q&A session with him for our website.”
They continued: “As he has now decided to refuse his award, we have suspended our activities with him and, in accordance with his wishes, we have withdrawn him from competition.”
They said they recognize “the importance of this subject [IA] and its impact on image making today”, but emphasized that the awards “have always been and will continue to be a platform to champion the excellence and skill of photographers and artists working in the medium .”
Analysis by Chris Vallance, Senior Reporter for the technology to the BBC
When an AI-generated image won a US state art competition last September, it sparked a debate that has raged ever since.
All the while, the power of technology is seemingly increasing week by week.
Photographers and artists who could previously take solace in pointing out flaws in AI-generated images — it struggles with its hands, for example — are now finding they’re getting harder and harder to spot.
Last month, Tim Flach, president of the Photographers Association, told me he was shocked at how easy it was to generate an AI image of a tiger that closely resembled a photo he had to enter the cage to capture her.
A photography student who spoke to me at the time worried whether his career project would still exist in a few years.
Many artists and photographers accuse AI systems of unfairly exploiting the works of hundreds of thousands of human creators the systems are trained on – some have even launched lawsuits.
But others simply see AI as one more 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 host of very fundamental questions remain unclear, including who owns the copyright to an AI image.
Along with the images, the AI generated a series of unanswered ethical and legal questions.
“I don’t blame Boris”
Eldagsen told the BBC on Monday that he had made it clear to organizers that he too wanted to publicly engage in an “open discussion” on the subject, much earlier in the awards process, but that this did not happen. had been useless.
He also suggested donating the award to a photo festival held in Odessa, Ukraine.
Photographer and blogger Feroz Khan took a particular interest in the unfolding of events over the past week. And he said he didn’t blame the artist for showing “there is a problem here in the photography industry”.
“To begin with, most people have trouble distinguishing AI-generated images from photographs (at least at first glance),” he wrote. “In a few months, it will likely become even more difficult to determine critical differences unless they are reviewed.
“With that intent, Boris said he wanted photography contest organizers to have separate categories for AI images.
“I appreciate him for wanting this accolade in photo contests. Yes, he submitted an AI image to the contest, but it doesn’t look like he wanted to defraud anyone. He wanted to highlight a problem that certainly needs a lot more attention from everyone.”
He concluded that Eldagsen had “clearly shown that even experienced photographers and art experts can be fooled”.
An exhibition of winners and shortlisted images from this year’s Sony World Photography Awards is taking place at Somerset House, London until May 1, 2023.
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