‘CHEEKY MONKEY’

Photographer Refuses Prize at Sony Awards After Revealing His Entry Is AI-Generated

Boris Eldagsen said he applied to test whether the art world is adequately prepared for the misuse of generative software in competitions. “They are not,” he wrote.

A German artist who recently won the top prize at a prestigious photography competition has refused the award, revealing himself as a “cheeky monkey” who’d set out to hoodwink the organizers with an image generated through artificial intelligence. Boris Eldagsen’s entry, Pseudomnesia: The Electrician, a portrait depicting two women from different generations, won in the creative open category at last week’s Sony World photography awards. In a statement posted to his website on Thursday, Eldagsen admitted to the stunt, saying, “How many of you knew or suspected that it was AI generated? Something about this doesn’t feel right, does it? AI images and photography should not compete with each other in an award like this. They are different entities. AI is not photography. Therefore I will not accept the award.” He added that he’d applied to test whether the art world is adequately prepared for the misuse of generative software in competitions. “They are not,” he concluded. Competition organizers told BBC News that Eldagsen had misled them.