Photo: Screenshot from Sina Weibo

A photography contest first-prize winner in Hohhot, North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, was disqualified after the contest organizer confirmed the work was AI-generated, with the award itself and all related honors being revoked, the organizer announced on Tuesday. 

The first-prize winning picture in the public contest is about three sanitation workers resting and laughing on a bench, with one of them pouring water from a kettle from above. However, the texts on two workers' vests contain apparent garbage characters, a netizen posted online. 

This has triggered netizens’ speculation of AI-generation and doubts on the image’s authenticity. 

The Hohhot city federation of literary and art circles issued a statement on Tuesday, confirming that the work was indeed AI-generated and was not an original photograph taken by the author from a real-life scene.

The organizer revoked the AI-generated work’s eligibility, removed it from the official record. The federation also suspended the bimonthly photography contest for rectification, and said those responsible would be dealt with in accordance with relevant regulations. 

The organizer said the incident exposed shortcomings in competition oversight and judging standards and pledged to strengthen supervision and uphold standards in future cultural events. 

Global Times