AI-Generated Photo Wins Sony World Photography Award, Artist Refuses Prize

German artist Boris Eldagsen won the Creative Open category of the Sony World Photography Awards 2023 with an AI-generated black-and-white portrait of two women of different ages, then refused the prize, stating that AI images and photography should not compete. Eldagsen, who studied photography and visual arts at the Academy of Art Mainz, conceptual art at the Academy of Fine Arts Prague, and fine arts at the Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication in Hyderabad, said he entered to test whether competitions were ready for AI. He called for an open discussion on what constitutes photography and suggested the prize money be donated to a photo festival in Odesa, Ukraine. The World Photography Organization (WPO) confirmed that Eldagsen had disclosed the AI co-creation before being announced as winner, and that his entry met the criteria for the creative category, which welcomes experimental approaches including digital practices. However, after Eldagsen's public refusal, Sony ended their collaboration, stating that his subsequent declaration revealed deliberate attempts to mislead them, invalidating the guarantees he provided. The incident reignites debate over AI in art, following a similar case at the Colorado State Fair Fine Arts Competition where James Allen won with a Midjourney-generated work.