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reclaiming the brAIn
how my real photo F L A M I N G O N E won an AI award
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Nature still outdoes the machine, and you helped prove it! My picture FLAMINGONE won the people’s vote and a jury award in the artificial intelligence category of the 1839 Awards photography competition—the twist: it’s a real photo. After the reveal, the contest's organizers had a surprising reaction. Read on for the full scoop or watch this clip for the gist:
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the story behind the picture
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What seems like a headless flamingo, is really a bird cleaning its plumage, head and neck tucked beneath the torso. I'd caught a 5 AM head start that day to beat the crowds to a Caribbean beach in Aruba where flamingos roam freely. FLAMINGONE was the first animal I encountered, just as it went about its ordinary morning routine. Later that day, I got another lucky shot with a selfie-human that went on to win several awards too.
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the award
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1839 Awards is an international photography competition with a high-calibre jury whose members include image experts from institutions like the New York Times, Phaidon Press, Getty Images, Centre Pompidou, Christie’s, and Maddox Gallery. While the fact that FLAMINGONE could fool these industry insiders speaks to the dangers of indistinguishable AI-imagery, the people’s choice award seems like a message of hope: the only real picture in the AI category resonated more with the public than any of the actual AI images that it competed against.
the twist
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​With AI-generated content remodeling the digital landscape rapidly while sparking an ever-fiercer debate about its implications for the future of content, its creators, and its consumers, I entered a real photo into the AI category of the 1839 Awards to prove that human-made content has not lost its relevance, that Mother Nature and her human interpreters can still beat the machine, and that creativity and emotion are more than just a string of digits.
After seeing recent instances of AI-generated imagery outshining actual photographs in competitions, I wanted to twist this story inside down and upside out the way only a human could and would, by submitting a real photo into an AI competition. My work FLAMINGONE was the perfect candidate because it's surreal to the point of unimaginable, and yet completely natural. It is the first real photo to win an AI award.
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Leading the jury astray was a stunt I didn’t take lightly. But I was hoping that these industry professionals, as well as the award's public voters, would find such a jab at AI justified, seeing that its dire ethical implications outweigh the moral misconduct of deceiving the viewer—which is, of course, ironic because that's what AI does.
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the twisted twist
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After revealing FLAMINGONE's true nature, my entry was disqualified, which is a justified and right decision that I expected and support. The big surprise was the organizers' reaction: Lily Fierman, Co-Founder and Director of 1839 Awards, remarked that she appreciates the powerful message and that it was an important and timely statement. "We hope this will bring awareness (and a message of hope) to many photographers worried about AI," she said. Her words made my day, and I was glad to learn that we are on the same page.
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The quality of the imagery submitted to the contest was outstanding across all categories, which also speaks to the jury’s keen eyes, so I am honored that my work was selected. Thank you 1839 Awards Team!
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I hope that winning over both the jury and the public with this picture, was not just a win for me but for many out there.
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Miles
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PS:
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By now, FLAMINGONE has traveled all around the world with features in hundreds of publications and a viral social media outbreak. From exhibitions to TV shows, radio to podcasts, books to academic papers, school to university curriculums, and art collections to museums, the creature that beat the machine has been seen and cheered by millions.
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Guys, THANK YOU!! I’m deeply humbled by all the support, from hilarious to heartfelt and thoughtful. Those are uniquely human traits that no AI can replicate, recreate, or relate to. We, collectively, are the message.
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PPS: If you're curious about the broader and deeper implications of the stunt and story, check out this commentary I wrote for Fortune along the lines of “Point made. Now what?”
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FLAMINGONE also made TV appearances from CBS to CNN, and let me tag along for some interviews.​​
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