AI disqualification yields new Nikon Small World in Motion winner
New winner is Nguyen Nam Nhat of Vietnam for video of a roundworm and single-celled Dileptus.
Nikon's Small World in Motion competition recently awarded its video prize to Nguyen Nam Nhat of Vietnam, displacing the original Chinese winner Ning Xu. This decision stemmed from allegations that Xu's submission violated competition rules, reportedly involving the use of artificial intelligence. The new victor's video showcases a roundworm and a single-celled organism.
Some scientists raised concerns about abnormalities in Xu's video depicting cellular structures, as these appeared to change in ways not observed in real biology. Others noticed what appeared to be AI-generated watermarks within the source files. Xu maintained that he only employed AI to "distinguish and visualize features in the reconstructed grayscale images," but insisted he had not used AI in creating the video of cilia movement or their motion.
Initiated in 2011, Nikon's Small World in Motion competition is a subset of Nikon's broader Small World Photomicrography Competition, which has existed since 1974. Both competitions aim to highlight the intricate beauty of subjects observed under a light microscope, with the latter segment utilizing advancements in time-lapse and movie-making technologies.
Other competing videos advanced a spot each. German Benedikt Pleyer took second place with a video of jellyfish larvae, US researcher Andrew Moore placed third for a time-lapse of cell division, Scottish Patrick Hickey came fourth for a look at cellular dynamics in leaf cells, and Igor Adameyko concluded the top five with a video of a vibrant sea slug.
Written by urgent.news from Ars Technica Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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