Nikon Disqualifies Microscopy Video Contest Winner Over Use of Generative AI
Nikon has disqualified the winner of its Small World in Motion microscopy video contest because the entry did not comply with the rules on generative AI. First place now goes to a video by Nguyen Nam Nhat.
Camera and optics maker Nikon has disqualified the first-place winner of its Small World in Motion contest, a competition for microscopic video. The company said the entry by Dr. Ning Xu did not comply with the competition rules on generative artificial intelligence. The ruling passes the title to another entrant, and Nikon says it will review its rules for future contests.
What the video showed
According to the BBC, Dr. Xu's entry was presented as footage of tiny, hair-like structures called cilia moving in the airway of a child with the respiratory condition PCD.
How doubts arose
Last week Nikon said it was reviewing the video after skepticism online about its authenticity. In a comment on LinkedIn, Dr. Xu acknowledged using AI. He said an unsupervised neural-network method was used afterwards for AI-assisted post-processing, to distinguish and visualize features in reconstructed grayscale images obtained through super-resolution optical imaging.
What happens next
Dr. Xu's video has been disqualified and appears to have been removed from Nikon's website. In the contest's updated rankings, a video by Nguyen Nam Nhat now holds first place. Nikon plans to revisit the rules and evaluation procedures for future entries.
The company also stressed that disqualifying the video should not be read as a judgment of the entrant's professional reputation, scientific contributions or intent.
