‘Man or machine?’: Is this Australia’s most controversial photo?

This winning photo in an Australian photography competition is literally unreal – and seriously “scary”.

This photo was created by artificial intelligence studio Absolutely. AI and recently won an amateur photography award. Picture: Absolutely. AI

This winning photo in a recent Australian photography competition is – well – unreal.

A Sydney-based artificial intelligence art studio – Absolutely. AI – works on the mission statement: “Who is the better artist, man or machine? Let’s find out.”

On Wednesday evening, the studio won a photography competition.

This week the judges of a weekly themed competition run by electronics retailer DigiDirect unknowingly awarded the studio’s submission of a computer-generated image the top prize.

Before you ask, the studio immediately fessed up and refused the cash prize.

And the winner is … this photo created by artificial intelligence studio Absolutely. AI. Picture: Absolutely. AI

The image, created using artificial intelligence, depicted a sunrise, a breaking wave and two surfers and was entered under the name Jan van Eycke, the 15th-century painter who created the most stolen artwork of all time – The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb.

“We did it to prove that we’re at a turning point with artificially intelligent technology by passing the ultimate test – could an AI-generated image not only slip by unnoticed but actually be awarded the top prize by a photography expert? The answer is resoundingly, yes,” the studio said.

Yep – this is AI- generated too. Picture: Absolutely. AI

“Recently, we have seen ChatGPT pass law, business and medical exams, but no one has been discussing the impact that AI will have on the creative industries.”

But, considering the award-winner was created on an inner Sydney couch – miles from the beach – should creators be worried?

Jamie Sissons, one of the brains behind the Absolutely. AI, admits the art industry’s future looks“terrifying”.

A keen photographer and filmmaker himself, even snagging awards using traditional methods, Sissons said his AI creations had outdone his human generated work.

… And this. Picture: Absolutely. AI

“As a creator, it is terrifying. I look back at the work that I have created. And if I’m being honest, it all looks so basic,” he told news.com.au.

“I’ve won photography awards. I’ve won awards in filmmaking and things like that. And my stuff doesn’t look as good as what a machine can generate.”

Absolutely. AI says that every AI artwork can collect millions or even billions of elements from paintings, photos, and videos to create something new and breathtaking.

In terms of photography accolades – DigiDirect’s weekly competition for a $100 voucher is a reasonably small fry one.

This 'Photo’ is made entirely by AI. Picture: Absolutely. AI

But the studio claims “machine is now the superior artist to man”.

“The surfers in our image never existed. Neither does that particular beach or stretch of ocean.

“It’s made up of an infinite amount of pixels taken from infinite photographs that have been uploaded online over the years by anyone, and everyone … and what you’re left with is an entirely convincing award-winner,” the studio said.

Sissons says the boundaries to creation hardly exist. Pictures: Supplied

The studio shared some of their AI photographs with news.com.au. Picture: Absolutely. AI

“History may look back on our little photography experiment as a turning point when we started to notice the new world we’re living in.”

The award-winning image, which the studio aptly named “The Most Stolen Photograph of All Time”, raises questions about AI’s impact on the creative industries and the future of art and creativity in the digital age – something that the studio says has not been widely discussed.

And it’s not the first AI generated image to take out a controversial prize in the art scene.

A striking resemblance to The Queen. Picture: Absolutely. AI

In August 2022, a game designer from Pueblo West, Colorado, Jason M. Allen, sparked debate after winning first place in the digital art category of the Colorado State Fair Fine Arts Competition in the emerging artist division.

Allen’s award-winning image challenged the traditional definition of artand raised questions about the role of artificial intelligence in creating art. However, his entry was not done as deceivingly as Absolutely. AI.

Picture: Absolutely. AI

When asked what will happen to creative industry should such technology be fully adopted, Sissons said: “People know the struggle behind getting the perfect image.

“I think if you ask a lot of creators, if not every creative, they don’t do it necessarily for the money. They do it for the enjoyment and the love of it.

“I think that will never go away. I think we will actually start to value human creations more as these new technologies, the AI technologies, take off.”

And bravely leaning into the emerging creative tech has paid dividends for Sissons and his studio with commissions to design art around the world aplenty.

Originally published as ‘Man or machine?’: Is this Australia’s most controversial photo?