Nikon is taking a second look at the video that won this year's Small World in Motion microscopy contest after researchers questioned whether it was generated with AI. The entry, by Dr Ning Xu, an optical engineering researcher at the National University of Singapore, is presented as cilia moving in tissue from a child with a rare genetic lung disorder.
Critics say the footage does not hold up. A University of Florida professor said structures blink in and out and that the cilia appear at the wrong size, and a UT Southwestern MD/PhD student said Google's Gemini detected a SynthID watermark, which suggests at least part of the clip came from Google's AI.
Nikon added a note to its announcement saying it is carefully re-checking the vetting material and new files from the entrant, who it says is cooperating. According to Nature, Xu said AI only helped colour similar structures in post-processing and denied breaking the rule that bans AI-generated videos; PetaPixel later found his comments and LinkedIn profile gone.
Sarah Goetz wrote on Bluesky that using synthetic images to win a contest meant to celebrate the beauty of biology would be deeply cynical. Several scientists say the simplest way to settle it is for Xu to release the raw grayscale video. Nikon had not answered PetaPixel's questions by publication.
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