Man vs Machine go head to head in historic photo comp

A photo competition open to photographers and AI artists aims to settle an emerging debate.

A new art contest is hoping to settle the age-old debate of “Man vs Machine”.

Electronics retailer digiDirect has recently announced it will be hosting a competition that invites both photographers and AI artists to submit their best works, with a $1000 reward up for grabs.

An expert panel of photographers will judge the submissions without knowledge of whether they were created by humans or machines.

“We feel uniquely positioned to invite both photographers and artificial intelligence creators to a unique competition to settle the Man V Machine, or Photo V Image debate,” digiDirect general manager Haig Kayserian said.

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

This comes after Sydney-based artificial intelligence art studio, Absolutely AI, made headlines by winning digiDirect’s weekly photography competition earlier this month.

The AI-generated image, depicting a sunrise, a breaking wave and two surfers, was entered under the name of Jan van Eyck, who was a 15th-century Renaissance artist.

Absolutely AI has been on a mission to prove that AI technology is at a turning point and machines can now create images that cannot only slip by unnoticed but actually be awarded the top prize by photography experts.

Jamie Sissons, one of the brains behind Absolutely AI, is a keen photographer and filmmaker himself and has won awards using traditional methods.

Sydney-based studio Absolutely AI boasts a large portfolio of realistic ‘photos’. Picture: Absolutely AI

However, he admits that the future of the art industry looks “terrifying”.

“I look back at the work that I have created and if I’m being honest, it all looks so basic,” he previously told news.com.au.

“And my stuff doesn’t look as good as what a machine can generate.”

Images can be made entirely using AI. Pictures: Absolutely AI

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

The studio claims that machines are now the superior artists.

“The surfers in our image never existed. Neither does that particular beach or stretch of ocean,” the studio said.

“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.”

Meanwhile, the competition hosted by digiDirect will aim to settle who does it better – people or machines.

From February 20, a link will be available for participants to submit their photo or image.