Photographer Miles Astray has won an AI-generated image competition, only to be disqualified for submitting a real photograph.
Astray's image of a seemingly-headless flamingo--its head, in fact, is simply hidden as it scratches itself--was submitted to the AI category of the 1839 Color Photography Contest, finishing third and winning the People's Vote Award.
In a reversal of what happened at the Charing Cross Photo competition, the judges of the 1839 Contest were not able to detect that Astray's photo was real. He only revealed as much after the winners have been announced, saying on social media: "Nature still outdoes the machine and you helped prove it! My picture F L A M I N G O N E won the People's Vote and a Jury Award in the AI category of @1839awards - the twist: the photo is not AI-generated."
He repeated the sentiment in an e-mail to CNN, saying: "I entered this actual photo...to prove that human-made content has not lost its relevance, that Mother Nature and her human interpreters can still beat the machine, and that creativity and emotion are more than just a string of digits." He also addressed his actions' ethical concerns: "I was hoping that the jury and the audience would find that this jab at AI and its ethical implications outweighs the ethical implications of deceiving the viewer, which, of course, is ironic because that is what AI does."
On his post, Astray also quoted Lily Fierman, Co-Founder and Director of 1839 Awards, saying: "she appreciates the powerful message and that it was an important and timely statement. 'We hope this will bring awareness (and a message of hope) to many photographers worried about AI.'"
