Nikon disqualified the winning entry of its Small World in Motion competition due to a violation of rules regarding generative AI. The decision followed reports from researchers who identified structural abnormalities and potential AI watermarks in the submitted video.
The author of the disqualified video, Xu, stated that AI was used to visualize features in grayscale images, though he denied using it to generate the movie or cellular motion. Nikon confirmed that the entry failed to comply with established competition standards.
Following the disqualification, the remaining rankings were adjusted. Benedikt Pleyer moved to first place with a video of jellyfish larvae, followed by Andrew Moore, Patrick Hickey, and Igor Adameyko in the subsequent positions.
Nikon stated that the ruling does not reflect on the entrant's professional reputation or scientific contributions. The company plans to review its evaluation procedures and rules for future competitions to address the rapid evolution of AI in imaging.
