Hohhot photography prize revoked after winning image found to be AI-generated

The first-place prize at a photography competition in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, has been revoked after the image was proven to be created by AI.

The competition is open to locals as a way to promote photography. Once the results were made public, netizens quickly spotted the obvious traces of AI in the winning image.

The photo depicts three sanitation workers resting and laughing on a bench, with one worker pouring water through the air from a kettle. However, the text printed on the vests worn by two of the workers contains obviously garbled characters, a detail that prompted widespread suspicion of AI use and raised public doubts about the fairness of judging. Many also noted the unnatural sunlight and matching faces and expressions of the three figures, hallmarks of AI-generated images.

After an investigation, Hohhot's federation of literary and art circles, an organizer of the competition, responded to the doubt via a notice on Tuesday, confirming that the photo had been created using AI. It then revoked the work's eligibility for all online and offline competitions, evaluations, and exhibitions, excluded it from official archives, and canceled its award and recognition associated with the competition.

The event itself was also suspended for a comprehensive rectification review. Those accountable were held responsible in accordance with relevant regulations.

Online media outlet The Paper weighed in on the controversy, commenting that similar cases with big names attached raise suspicions that the problem goes beyond mere carelessness. "It may well be symptomatic of a long-standing insular culture prevalent among many nongovernmental photography awards and similar social prizes," The Paper said in an editorial. "Even before the AI era, such controversies were not uncommon: works that clearly defy common sense and public aesthetic standards have repeatedly been selected, prompting accusations of favoritism and even improper financial dealings."