the german photographer Boris Eldagsen further inflamed the debate around images created with artificial intelligence (AI)through generative programs such as Dall-E, midjourney and others lesser known.
The artist sent a composition titled Pseudomnesia: The Electricia to compete in the recent awards Sony World Photography Awards 2023, one of the most prestigious in the photographic industry. your creation won first place in the Creativity categoryregardless of the fact that it was not captured by the lens of a human professional, but rather it was an AI image.
Despite the recognition that obtaining such an award entails, Eldagsen preferred to reject the award and open the discussion.
Pseudomnesia: The Electricia It is, as Sony has described, “a haunting black and white portrait of two women from different generations, reminiscent of the visual language of family portraits from the 40s.”
The creator added his “extensive photographic knowledge” to the technology of inpainting and outpainting, tools developed from artificial intelligence, in “a complex interaction of rapid engineering”. Finally, he obtained such an impressive result that the jury awarded him the photography prize.
His intention was never to win the prize, but to discuss artificial intelligence
Since he sent the ‘portrait’ to compete, Boris’s intention was not to win the prize, but to generate an open discussion about the participation of images created with AI in conventional photography contests.
“I blatantly introduced myself, to find out if the contests are set up for AI images to be submitted. They are not,” Eldagsen wrote on his website where he details the entire process.
Next, he makes it clear that his objective was never simply to win a prize, but to seek a consensus on fair competition.
“We, the world of photography, need an open debate. A discussion about what we want to consider photography and what we don’t. Is the photography umbrella big enough to invite AI images to participate, or would that be a mistake? With my rejection of the award, I hope to accelerate this debate”, said the artist.
What does the World Photography Organization say?
For their part, the organizers of the event affirm that the judges knew the nature of the image, but thought that it was a collaboration between the artist and artificial intelligence.
A spokesperson for the World Photography Organization commented that “The Creative category of the Open competition welcomes various experimental approaches to image creation, from blueprints and X-rays to cutting-edge digital practices”.
“Thus, after our correspondence with Boris and the assurances he provided us, we consider that his candidacy met the criteria for this category and we support his participation,” the spokesperson added.
“We recognize the importance of this topic and its impact on imaging today. We look forward to further exploring this issue through our various channels and programs and we welcome the conversation around it,” the organization concluded in statements cited by Vice.
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