AI disqualification yields new Nikon Small World in Motion winner - Ars Technica (opens in a new tab)

arstechnica.com · 2026-10-09

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AI disqualification yields new Nikon Small World in Motion winner - Ars Technica

arstechnica.com · 2026-10-09

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Claim 1 of 4Not checkedNikon disqualified the previously announced winner of its Small World in Motion contest after investigating allegations that the entry used AI in a way that violated the rules.View evidenceHide evidence

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Claim 2 of 4Not checkedThe new winner is Nguyen Nam Nhat of Vietnam, whose video shows a tiny roundworm and a single-celled organism.View evidenceHide evidence

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Claim 3 of 4Not checkedAccording to a BBC report, some researchers said the video showed structural abnormalities and features that appeared and disappeared in ways they would not expect in real cellular biology, and others reported apparent AI watermarks in the source files.View evidenceHide evidence

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Claim 4 of 4Not checkedXu said he used AI to distinguish and visualize features in reconstructed grayscale images, but denied using AI to generate the experimental movie, the cilia, or their motion.View evidenceHide evidence

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