Photographer refuses top prize for image that he co-created with Artificial Intelligence

Boris Eldagsen won the creative open category at the Sony World Photography Awards with his AI co-created photograph Pseudomnesia/The Electrician. (Image: @boriseldagsen/Instagram)

The world of photography has been rocked by the news that a prize-winning image was created using Artificial Intelligence (AI). German photographer Boris Eldagsen recently won the creative open category at the Sony World Photography Awards with his photograph Pseudomnesia/The Electrician, but he later revealed that the image had been co-created using AI.

The award-winning monochromatic photograph features a younger woman with an older woman standing behind her, holding her.

Eldagsen’s decision to decline the award has sparked a debate about the role of AI in photography and the definition of the art form. In his statement, Eldagsen said that he had applied to the competition as a “cheeky monkey” to see if AI images were allowed to enter. He was not surprised to find that they were not.

“I applied as a cheeky monkey, to find out, if the competitions are prepared for AI images to enter. They are not,” he wrote on his website.

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He went on to call for an open discussion about what should be considered photography and what should not. He questioned whether the umbrella of photography was large enough to include AI images, or whether this would be a mistake.

“We, the photo world, need an open discussion. A discussion about what we want to consider photography and what not. Is the umbrella of photography large enough to invite AI images to enter – or would this be a mistake?”

The World Photography Organisation (WPO), which organizes the competition, said that Eldagsen had told them he had co-created the image using AI before he was announced as the winner. They said that they had accepted his entry because it fulfilled the criteria for the creative open category, which welcomes experimental approaches to image making, including cutting-edge digital practices.

However, the WPO has suspended working with Eldagsen after he declined the award. They said that his deliberate attempts at misleading them had invalidated the warranties he provided, and they no longer felt able to engage in a meaningful and constructive dialogue with him.

The debate around AI in photography is not a new one, but it is becoming increasingly important as AI technology improves. There are concerns that AI could replace human photographers, or at least change the nature of the art form.

Some photographers argue that AI is simply a tool, like a camera or a paintbrush, and that it can be used creatively to enhance human expression. Others are concerned that AI could lead to a homogenization of photography, with all images looking the same.

Ultimately, the question of whether AI belongs in photography is a complex one, and there are no easy answers. However, it is clear that the issue needs to be discussed openly and honestly, as Eldagsen has called for. Only then can the photography community come to a consensus about the role of AI in the art form.