Photographer Admits AI Created Sony Prize-Winning Image

    Photographer Admits AI Created Sony Prize-Winning Image
    Image credit: Screengrab/Eldagsen [via Vice]

    The Facts

    • The winner of a prestigious photography competition is refusing the reward after he admitted that the image was generated using artificial intelligence (AI).
    • Boris Eldagsen, a German artist, won the Sony World Photography Award with a black-and-white image depicting two women from different generations. He has since said he pulled the stunt to test the integrity of the competition and that he hoped it would prompt discussion about the future of photography.
    • In a statement on his website, Eldagsen also asked readers: "How many of you knew or suspected that it was AI generated?" He also stated: "AI images and photography should not compete with each other in an award like this… AI is not photography."

    Sources Split


    The Spin


    Narrative A

    AI systems with abilities exceeding the limits of human capacity are on the horizon. Governments must step in to stop the dangerous AI development race between big tech companies. If done at the right pace and with the right regulation, AI could offer unprecedented solutions to humanity, but it could also destroy us unless we intervene now.

    Narrative B

    The ramifications of developing AI technology are far too vast to even try to predict. But the positives are just as numerous as the negatives. AI could act to tackle loneliness, solve climate change, and address income inequality. Attempts to stifle the technology will not work, and versions of AI will soon permeate the lives of billions.


    Metaculus Prediction


    Go Deeper

    © 2026 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 7.17.1

    © 2026 Improve the News Foundation.

    All rights reserved.

    Version 7.17.1