{
  "id": 13154603,
  "title": "Prize-winning image which sparked backlash was AI-generated, Nikon rules",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/prize-winning-image-which-sparked-backlash-was-ai-generated-nikon-13154603",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-09T15:32:30.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC News",
    "slug": "bbc-news",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr86z33pdy9vo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A photographic triumph at a prestigious scientific competition has been struck down after doubts were raised that it was fabricated. Nikon declared that the use of generative AI in the video violated the guidelines for its Small World In Motion contest, which permits photos and video captured through advanced microscopes. The company stated that the video did not conform to the contest's rules concerning generative AI, but emphasized that it did not undermine the entrant's professional standing or scientific accomplishments. Nikon will now review the contest's rules and procedures, as the annual event, which has been held for 15 years and is exclusively for microscopic images, undergoes evaluation. The winning entry was submitted by Dr Ning Xu from Tsinghua University in China, who showcased minute, hair-like structures called cilia moving in the airway of a child with the respiratory condition PCD. Several scientists, including former judges, alerted Nikon via its LinkedIn page that the video lacked authenticity. Xu had claimed to have used AI, but believed he had adhered to the rules and had collaborated with Nikon's investigation. Dr Robert Hirst, a University of Leicester scientist and one of the earliest to express concerns, expressed no surprise and immediately suspected the video's fabrication. Hirst, who has diagnosed PCD for 20 years by examining cilia waveform, length, cell size, and shape, noted that the cells and cilia in the video appeared nothing like those from PCD patients. This controversy has significantly affected numerous patients, scientists, doctors, and PCD support networks across the globe, according to Hirst.",
  "summary": "The camera-maker says it is now re-evaluating the rules and procedures of its Small World in Motion contest.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Science",
        "title": "Prize-winning image which sparked backlash was AI-generated, Nikon rules",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/prize-winning-image-which-sparked-backlash-was-ai-generated-nikon",
        "published": "2026-10-09T15:32:30.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}