Nikon Investigates AI Claims Against Small World in Motion Winner
Nikon is re-reviewing a first-prize microscopy video by Tsinghua University’s Dr. Ning Xu after scientists questioned whether AI altered its airway cilia motion; the entrant denies AI generated the film.
The video, which won the contest last month, depicted cilia, tiny hair-like structures that protrude from cells, in a child’s airway at 100x magnification. Dr. Xu said, “When people watch cilia beating, they immediately understand that something beautiful and important is happening inside us.”
After the award drew scrutiny, Nikon said on LinkedIn that it was “carefully re-reviewing the information provided during the initial vetting, along with additional supporting materials from the entrant.” The company added that Dr. Xu “is respectfully complying and has provided detailed technical documentation outlining the microscopy equipment, imaging methods, and processing techniques used to create the source video.” Nikon said it planned to update the Nikon Small World community next week.
Dr. Xu has denied breaking the competition’s rules, saying on LinkedIn, according to BBC News, that “AI was not used to generate the experimental movie, the cilia, or their motion.” Dr. Xu did concede using AI “to distinguish and visualize features in the reconstructed grayscale images.”
Some critics say the role of AI went beyond that. Edward Phelps, an associate professor at the University of Florida, said on LinkedIn that the video had serious problems, with certain elements “popping in and out of existence and migrating between cells.” Ian Donovan, a PhD student at UT Southwestern Medical Center, claimed to have uncovered “an embedded SynthID watermark identifying synthetic/AI-generated content.” Critics have also argued that the cilia’s shapes do not fit with known behaviors and that the cilia appear to be too large.
Editor's Summary Nikon is re-reviewing a prize-winning microscopy video of a child’s airway cilia after scientists questioned whether AI altered the movement shown. Dr. Ning Xu denies that AI generated the experimental movie, the cilia, or their motion, saying AI was used only to distinguish and visualize features in reconstructed grayscale images. The investigation’s outcome could affect how scientific imaging contests evaluate AI-assisted work.