Not even three months ago, my colleague Feroz Khan took a dig at the judges behind the Sony World Photography Awards. As a dig, it was very well deserved; said judges not only failed to recognize an AI-generated picture as such, they even gave it an award. Apparently, some people took note of this failure and reacted in the most intelligent way they could think of. No, it wasn’t by training their judges. Not by using AI Image Detectors or checking for weird hands or crooked fingers. No. By establishing an AI Image Developing and Creating in their Photography Awards.
For Artificial Intelligence Image Developing & Creating category, images developed or created using any AI tools are accepted. Tools used should be added in the description. In the case of the use of a real photograph, the source should be added in the description.
Taken out of the rules of the 2023 Spotlight Awards
If there’s ever been a time when my dislike for the old adage “if you can’t beat them, join them” was more intense, I can’t remember it. To us, this doesn’t promote the progression of photography at all and instead plays more to the idea that we’re all screwed.
Demeaning photography, one prompt at a time
According to their own website, The Spotlight Awards focus on the most sought-after photographic talent shooting within designated advertising categories, and they’ve been doing so since 2018 when they started their contest.
One would think that if they were so interested in promoting photographic talent, they would be for respecting our work and against these so-called AI-generated “photos” — as this tech relies on nothing else but thousands of stolen images.
One would think that if they were so interested in helping photographers across the industry, they wouldn’t give AI and its users a shabby coat of respectability by making it into a category in a photography contest, even if it’s one you have to pay to participate in.
And apparently, one would think wrong, because they’ve already released the shortlist for such category. Where this becomes even more fascinating is with the fact that AI visuals cannot be copyright-protected within the United States. However, according to their website’s FAQ page, you retain the copyright to the images that you submit.
Anything but photography
If you’ve ever written anything, you should know that words matter. This holds true regardless of what you’re writing, even if what you’re writing is just a “prompt” on Midjourney.
An epée is not a sword. A fork is not a spoon. And AI-generated art is not and will not ever be a photograph.
Photography is created by exposure to light, whether film or a digital sensor.
Words do matter.
As such, any image mixed, blended, and spewed out by an algorithm —no matter how complex— should not ever have a place in a photography contest.
Now, I would never demean the art of eliciting imagery from textual prompts because doing so is incredibly hard. As previously said, you have to use the right words, in the right order, and in the right context.
Luckily, there are legitimate places where you can submit such art if you’re interested in doing so.
Additional reporting was done by Chris Gampat.