A winning video showing eyelashes fluttering in the airway has been disqualified from the Small World in Motion competition for violating competition rules.Credit: Ning Xu/Nikon Small World
The winning entry in the prestigious Small World in Motion microscopy competition has been disqualified after scientists raised concerns about its creation using artificial intelligence.
On October 9, Nikon Instruments, which organizes the competition, said in a statement that the winning video did not comply with the competition rules. AI-generated videos are not allowed, according to the competition website.
The video was submitted by Ning Xu, an optical engineer at the National University of Singapore. It showed the movement of hair-like structures, called cilia, in the lungs and won first place on September 15. But days later, scientists noted on the social media platform LinkedIn that some features of the video seemed biologically implausible.
In response to these comments, Xu wrote on LinkedIn that his team used an AI model in post-processing to improve the visual presentation of regions beneath the eyelashes “without making anatomical claims about what these rendered features represent.” These posts, which appeared during Nikon’s previous announcement on LinkedIn that Xu had won the award, have since been deleted.
On September 25, a Nikon Small World spokesperson said Nature that the company was investigating the video. In its latest statement, Nikon Instruments said that after re-evaluating the video and materials, and consulting with the jury, it determined that the winning video did not comply with the competition rules. “This decision is based solely on the eligibility of the video submitted under the rules set forth for this competition. It should not be construed as a judgment on the professional reputation, scientific contributions, or intent of the entrant,” the company said.
Xu did not respond to Naturerequest for comment from Nikon on Nikon’s decision to disqualify its application. A spokesperson for the National University of Singapore said Ning Xu had entered the competition before joining the university and the content of his application had no relation to his work there.
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