Brief

Nikon Disqualifies Winning Microscope Video Over Generative AI Use

The contest’s organizers said the entry breached AI rules and named a new winner.

By Felo News Desk · Published Sat, 10 Oct 2026 08:18:21 GMT

Nikon’s Small World in Motion photomicrography contest stripped the 2026 winning entry after determining it violated the competition’s ban on generative AI, the organization said.

Remi Yuter, a spokesperson for the contest, told Gizmodo via email that a re‑evaluation of the video and supporting materials, together with input from judges, led to the conclusion that the entry did not comply with the AI rule. The disqualified video, created by National University of Singapore optical engineer Ning Xu, showed cilia in airway tissue from a child with primary ciliary dyskinesia but contained structures that experts said did not exist in biology and bore a SynthID watermark identifying AI use.

Xu said the original footage came from real research but that he employed generative AI for post‑processing colour. Robert Hirst, a University of Leicester scientist quoted by the BBC, said the visual features “look nothing like those from PCD patients” and warned of negative impacts on patients and clinicians.

Nikon announced that the rankings have been adjusted and the new winner is Nguyen Nam Nhat of Vietnam, whose submission features a roundworm and a single‑celled organism called Dileptus. Yuter added that the decision reflects eligibility rules and does not comment on the entrant’s reputation or intent, and that the contest will revisit its rules for future entries.

Key facts

Nikon disqualified the 2026 Small World in Motion winning video for breaching generative AI rules (gizmodo.com)
The entry was created by NUS optical engineer Ning Xu and showed cilia from a child with primary ciliary dyskinesia (gizmodo.com)
Nikon named Nguyen Nam Nhat of Vietnam as the new winner (gizmodo.com)