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Nikon disqualifies microscopy winner over AI concerns

Updated 3 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-10-10 06:10 UTC → 2026-10-10 16:52 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The 16th annual Nikon Small World in Motion competition, which recognized 31 works globally for their use of microscopic video to highlight biological processes, has undergone a significant change in its results. Nikon has disqualified the original top prize winner, Ning Xu of Tsinghua University, following allegations regarding the improper use of artificial intelligence. While Xu maintained that he used AI only to ‘distinguish and visualize features’ in reconstructed images, he denied using the technology to generate the actual motion or the cilia themselves. However, microscopy experts raised concerns about the biological accuracy of the footage, noting that cellular structures appeared and disappeared in ways that defied known biology. Some researchers also identified what appeared to be AI watermarks within the source files. Following an investigation, Nikon concluded the entry did not comply with competition ~~rules.~~ rules, specifically those prohibiting generative AI. Nikon clarified that the disqualification is not a judgment on the entrant’s professional reputation or scientific contributions, but rather a result of the entry failing to meet competition standards. As a result, the top prize has been reassigned to Nguyen Nam Nhat from Vietnam, whose video featured a small roundworm and a unicellular organism. Other winners in the competition have also moved up in the rankings following the disqualification. Nikon is currently reviewing the rules and procedures for the annual contest.

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