The Sony World Photography Awards, held last week, witnessed an unprecedented event. The creative, open-category winner, German-based artist Boris Eldagsen, revealed on his website that he would not accept the prize. Eldagsen generated the prize-winning image using artificial intelligence (AI) and wanted to spark an open discussion about the place of AI in photography.
First AI-Generated Image to Win a Prestigious International Competition
The historic winning image depicted two women from different generations in black and white. Eldagsen, acknowledging the significance of the moment, expressed his gratitude for the recognition but insisted on not accepting the prize. He explained that he submitted the AI-generated image as a “cheeky monkey” to test whether such competitions were prepared to accept AI images as valid entries.
Urging Debate on AI’s Role in Photography
Eldagsen’s refusal aimed to accelerate the debate on what should be considered photography and whether AI-generated images should be included under its umbrella. He believed that the photography community needed an open discussion on this topic and questioned if accepting AI images within the realm of photography would be a mistake. The artist proposed donating the prize to the foto-festival in Odesa, Ukraine, a region affected by war.
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World Photography Organization Responds
The World Photography Organisation is the body responsible for the awards. A spokesperson for the organization stated that Eldagsen had informed them of the AI co-creation before being announced the winner. In correspondence, Eldagsen explained that his artistic focus shifted towards exploring AI generators’ creative possibilities after two decades of photography. The artist emphasized that the image relied heavily on his “wealth of photographic knowledge,” meeting the competition’s rules.
Creative Category Open to Experimental Approaches
The spokesperson highlighted that the creative category of the open competition welcomed various experimental approaches to image-making. This included, as stated, “from cyanotypes and rayographs to cutting-edge digital practices.” After corresponding with Eldagsen, the organization believed that his entry met the criteria for the category and supported his participation.
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Suspension of Activities with Eldagsen
Following Eldagsen’s decision to decline the award, the spokesperson announced that the organization had suspended its activities with him. They noted that Eldagsen’s “deliberate attempts at misleading” invalidated the warranties he had provided. As a result, they were unable to engage in “meaningful and constructive dialogue” with the artist.
Our Say
Eldagsen’s refusal to accept the award sparked the interest of photographers, artists, and art enthusiasts worldwide. His call for debate around the inclusion of AI-generated images’ in photography competitions raises essential questions about the future of the art form. As the lines between traditional photography and AI-generated images blur, the photography world must reconsider its definitions and make room for new techniques and methods. The Sony World Photography Awards incident has paved the way for crucial discussions that will ultimately shape the future of photography as we know it.
