Nikon is reviewing the winning entry of its Small World In Motion contest following allegations from scientists that the video may have been altered using artificial intelligence (AI). The contest, which has been held annually for 15 years, features photos and videos captured with advanced microscopes. The winning video, submitted by Dr. Ning Xu of Tsinghua University in China, purportedly shows cilia moving in the airways of a child with a rare disease.
Dr. Xu has not responded to requests for comment but has publicly stated that he did not violate any contest rules. In a LinkedIn post responding to Nikon, he acknowledged using AI for image processing but clarified that AI was not used to create the experimental movie or the cilia's motion. He explained that the bright colors in the video, which are typical in microscopy, were achieved through manual staining and dyeing of the sample.
Critics, including Edward Phelps, an associate professor at Florida University, have raised concerns about the authenticity of the video, noting that some structures appear to