{
  "id": 11757308,
  "title": "Researcher, Dartmouth Professor and Provost Face Accusations of Secretly Using AI",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/researcher-dartmouth-professor-and-provost-face-accusations-of",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-03T19:51:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Slashdot",
    "slug": "slashdot",
    "url": "https://science.slashdot.org/story/26/10/03/1948230/researcher-dartmouth-professor-and-provost-face-accusations-of-secretly-using-ai"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Nikon Small World in Motion competition has become the subject of controversy after Dr Ning Xu, a researcher at the National University of Singapore, was accused of secretly using AI in his winning video. The competition showcases the beauty and complexity of the microscopic world, with abstract entries that are often difficult for non-experts to understand. However, when Dr Xu was announced as the winner last month, members of the scientific community began to question the legitimacy of his submission.\n\nEdwards Phelps, an associate professor at Florida University, expressed his concerns about the video on LinkedIn, pointing out apparent inconsistencies in the footage. One issue raises questions about the appearance of purple structures that seem to appear and disappear in quick succession, as well as green cilia seemingly popping into existence without adhering to known size guidelines. Dr Xu's video was meant to illustrate the movement of cilia, hair-like structures lining parts of the lungs.\n\nFollowing the uproar surrounding Dr Xu's winning entry, Nikon Small World updated its LinkedIn post celebrating his achievement, stating that they were re-reviewing the information provided during the initial vetting process, along with additional supporting materials from the entrant. Nikon also mentioned that Dr Xu had provided detailed technical documentation outlining the microscopy equipment, imaging methods, and processing techniques used to create the source video.\n\nHowever, the controversy deepened when Ian Donovan, an MD/PhD student at UT Southwestern Medical Center, ran the video through Google Gemini and discovered evidence of AI generation through an invisible Google SynthID watermark. Dr Xu, who is an optical engineering researcher at the National University of Singapore, admitted to using an AI model for post-processing but denied breaking the competition's rules, which strictly prohibit the use of AI-generated videos.\n\nDr Xu's acknowledgment came under scrutiny as his messages on the LinkedIn post have mysteriously disappeared, and his LinkedIn profile appears to have been deleted entirely. Meanwhile, some college students have pointed out a perceived double standard in college admissions: while students are penalized for outsourcing academic work to AI, top institutional leaders such as professors and provosts seem to receive leniency in this regard.\n\nThe Dartmouth College student-run newspaper recently reported allegations of AI use by a top professor, Santiago Schnell, who was accused of employing AI to assist with writing. Schnell claimed he utilized AI for language refinement, copyediting, improving clarity and organization, and streamlining the writing process. However, The New York Times reported that the college launched an investigation into Schnell's work after the newspaper ran his statement through an AI detector, which indicated that he used AI to write the text as well.",
  "summary": "\"The winner of the Nikon Small World in Motion competition is under investigation,\" writes the photography news site PetaPixel , \"after scientists accused Dr Ning Xu of using AI in his video.\" The Nikon competition is about showcasing the beauty, complexity, and artistry of the microscopic world. The entries are abstract, often baffling to laypeople. But when Dr Xu was announced as the winner…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}