When a German photographer was selected as the winner after submitting a work at an international photography exhibition, he refused to accept the award. The artist announced that he submitted the work to cause controversy by belatedly announcing that the work was an image created by artificial intelligence (AI).
According to the BBC on the 17th (local time), German photographer Boris Eldakzen took first place in the Creative Open category at the ‘2023 Sony World Photography Awards’ (SWPA). SWPA is one of the world’s largest photography competitions sponsored by Sony and sponsored by the World Photography Association (WPO).
The title of the image Eldakhzen submitted is ‘The Electrician’, and it is a black and white image of a young woman and an elderly woman. In the image, an older woman is holding his shoulders from behind a younger woman and staring somewhere behind her.
When his work was selected as the winner, Eldakzen suddenly said he would refuse the award. It was because his work was a photo made with AI. In a statement posted on his website, he explained that he submitted the work to see if photo exhibitions such as SWPA were ready for AI image submissions.
At the same time, he argued that there should be a wide discussion about what should and should not be seen as a photograph.
“Is the field of photography wide enough for AI images to enter? Or was it (my award) a mistake,” he said.
A WPO spokesperson said: “As he has decided not to accept the award, we have ceased working with him and removed him from the competition.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.