Tiny image sparks big backlash in Nikon photo contest
Nikon is re-evaluating a winning entry in its Small World In Motion microscopy contest following allegations that the video was generated or manipulated using AI. Scientists have raised concerns about the biological accuracy of the cilia structures shown in the footage.
Why it matters
This highlights the growing challenge of maintaining scientific integrity and authenticity in visual media as AI tools become more accessible.
Figure caption, Watch: The competition's winner and runners up. Nikon is investigating whether the winning video (shown left) was altered with AI
Technology & AI editor Published 1 hour ago The winning entry of a prestigious scientific photography competition is being re-evaluated following criticism from other scientists that it was made with AI.
Nikon's annual Small World In Motion contest accepts photos and video taken using powerful microscopes, and has run annually for the last 15 years.
The winner was a short video submitted by Dr Ning Xu, a researcher at Tsinghua University in China, which claims to be footage of tiny, hair-like structures called cilia moving inside the airways of a child with a rare disease.
Xu did not respond to the BBC's request for comment, but has posted online denying he broke the competition rules.
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