Nikon microscopy contest winner disqualified over generative AI use

Nikon disqualified the original first-place video in its Small World in Motion contest, saying it broke rules on generative AI. Author Dr. Ning Xu admitted using an unsupervised neural-network method for AI-assisted post-processing; Nikon reviewed the video after online skepticism.

• Nikon Contest Winner Stripped of Title Over AI-Generated Entry2026-10-25