Nikon is re-evaluating the winning entry of its 15th annual Small World In Motion contest after scientists raised concerns that the video was created using artificial intelligence.
The competition accepts video and photographs captured through powerful microscopes.
The disputed entry, submitted by Tsinghua University researcher Dr. Ning Xu, purports to demonstrate cilia moving inside a child's airways.
Scientists Question Cilia Structure and AI Watermark
Critics questioned the structural accuracy of the cilia, pointing out unusual sizes and movements.
Researchers also noted a potential AI watermark on the source image, while two former judges separately voiced concerns over the file's authenticity.
Xu denied violating contest rules on social media, clarifying that artificial intelligence was utilized strictly during the grayscale image reconstruction phase rather than generating experimental footage.
"AI was not used to generate the experimental movie, the cilia, or their motion," said Dr. Ning Xu, researcher at Tsinghua University.
The competition permits manual dye staining and image processing, which Xu argued aligns with standard procedures used to highlight microscopic features.
"To distinguish and visualize features in the reconstructed grayscale images," said Dr. Ning Xu, researcher at Tsinghua University.
Entrants highlighted that the competition explicitly bans generative AI to maintain fairness, noting that recognition outweighs the $3,000 top prize.
"If you spend a lot of your time in a dark room looking down a microscope, it's really nice to be able to show people and to show the public," said Dr. Patrick Hickey, fifth-place winner in the 2026 contest.
Hickey emphasized the necessity of adhering strictly to microscopic imaging parameters established by organizers.
"There's an interesting fusion between science and art, and a lot of the images that scientists are making have some very abstract and artistic qualities to them," said Dr. Patrick Hickey, fifth-place winner in the 2026 contest.
He noted that allowing generative tools would compromise the integrity of the scientific photography field.
"There's a specific set of rules in the contest, and one of them was quite clearly that you couldn't use generative AI to produce things, and the other was obviously that it has to be taken under a microscope," said Dr. Patrick Hickey, fifth-place winner in the 2026 contest.
Nikon confirmed that Xu is cooperating with the ongoing technical review by submitting supporting documentation.
The company stated no rules appear violated currently, with a formal status update expected soon.
"At this time, we don't see that any rules were violated," said Nikon in an official statement.
