Refusal Of The Prize Of The Sony World Photography Awards Sparks Debate On The Use Of AI
Work is seemingly becoming easier for some people because of the rise of AI technology.
Those who used to pay people for artwork have turned to using AI generators such as Midjourney to put out their “own” works of art and declare them as their own masterpieces.
Honestly, it’s a long discussion, and lots of heated debates have already been made on various platforms. From an artist’s point of view, AI in its current form is harmful, soulless, and an act of theft.
During the WGA meeting last week, someone called AI a “plagiarism machine.” Because AI doesn’t just make stuff out of nothing. It steals scraps of real voices, real art, real labor, chews them up and spits them out. It’s robotic theft. It’s lazy AND unethical. https://t.co/SNqZ8tSnbj
— Ariel Dumas (@ArielDumas) May 7, 2023
Not only can AI steal work from artists, but it can also steal a prestigious global photography award.
German artist Boris Eldagsen won the Sony World Photography Awards for the creative category recently. He refused to accept the award after revealing the fact that his winning entry was not actually made by him but was created using AI instead.
Much like how AI is not art, Boris Eldagsen also said that AI is not photography.
He only submitted his piece, Pseudomnesia: The Electrician, because he wanted to test the competition and hopefully open a discussion about the use of AI and the future of photography.
This is the 3rd time this year that I've seen an AI-gen image win a photo comp.
"Pseudomnesia | The Electrician" – Boris Eldagsen won Sony World Photography Awards 2023.
While I absolutely love AI, I believe that it is a whole different genre & should have its own category. pic.twitter.com/FuDUyiCeW3
— Grace Almera 🍓 (@gracealmeradk) April 14, 2023
“I wanted to see if competitions are prepared for AI images to be handed in, and they are not,” he said. “It’s very important that they are aware that there will be more and more AI-generated images in photo competitions, and it should not be mixed up. It’s two different things – they look the same, but they shouldn’t be in the same category.”
In the Facebook post below, Eldagsen provided updates on his refusal of the acclaimed prize.
“Having been a photographer for 30 years before I turned to AI, I understand the pros and cons of this debate and will be happy to join the conversation,” Eldagsen wrote.
AI is a wonderful tool if used correctly, but it is still unrefined. It should not steal other people’s work and it should not be treated as a replacement for human talent.
Which side are you on when it comes to the use of AI?
