Nikon Strips Microscopy Contest Winner Over AI Rule Breach

Nikon has taken away the first-place win in its 2026 Small World in Motion microscopy video contest, saying the entry broke the rules on generative AI. The video came from Dr. Ning Xu of Tsinghua University in China, showing odd cilia movement in the airway of a child with PCD.

Several microscopy experts questioned the video online. They noted that some purple structures appeared or vanished suddenly, some green cilia seemed to pop up out of nowhere, and the sizes did not match known biology. Dr. Xu admitted using AI to highlight features in raw grayscale images, but denied using AI to create the video itself.

After a fresh review, Nikon canceled the win. Nguyen Nam Nhat from Vietnam, who was second, is now the champion. His video captures a tiny worm meeting a single-cell creature, and other entries moved up in rank.