{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-22T11:13:03.494Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"reputation","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"unknown","evidence":"","year":"2026","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":2,"coverage":{"cases":2,"countries":1,"languages":2,"unknownLocation":1,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":0,"minors":0,"coreRelations":0,"contextualRelations":0,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":2,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":2},"countingNote":"Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.","affectedCountNote":"Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.","source":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2026-hohhot-photography-competition-revokes-first-prize-after-organiser-confirms-winning-image-was-ai-generated","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"The photo depicts three sanitation workers resting and laughing on a bench ... contains obviously garbled characters, a detail that prompted widespread suspicion of AI use and raised public doubts about the fairness of judging. Many also noted the unnatural sunlight and matching faces and expressions of the three figures","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The first-place image in a Hohhot photography competition, showing three sanitation workers on a bench, drew public suspicion of AI use over garbled vest text, unnatural sunlight and matching faces.","causal_attribution":"China Daily."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"After an investigation, Hohhot's federation of literary and art circles, an organizer of the competition, responded to the doubt via a notice on Tuesday, confirming that the photo had been created using AI.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"经核实，该作品确系AI生成，非作者实景原创拍摄。","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"After an investigation, Hohhot's federation of literary and art circles, the competition's organiser, said in a notice of 14 July 2026 that it had verified the winning work was AI-generated and not the entrant's own on-site photograph.","causal_attribution":"The organiser's notice as reported by China Daily."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"It then revoked the work's eligibility for all online and offline competitions, evaluations, and exhibitions, excluded it from official archives, and canceled its award and recognition ... The event itself was also suspended for a comprehensive rectification review. Those accountable were held responsible in accordance with relevant regulations.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"取消该作品线上和线下参赛、参评及参展资格，撤销其一切赛事相关认定，不纳入赛事成果收录范围；暂停“艺韵北疆·光影青城”呼和浩特全民摄影双月赛，推进全面整改；对相关责任人将依据有关规定予以处理。","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The organiser revoked the work's eligibility for competitions, evaluations and exhibitions, excluded it from the competition's record of results and cancelled its award; it suspended the competition for rectification and said those responsible would be dealt with under the relevant rules.","causal_attribution":"The organiser's notice as quoted by People's Daily Online and reported by China Daily; China Daily's wording that those accountable 'were held responsible' is stronger than the notice's future tense."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"此事暴露出工作中存在赛事审核把关不严、评选标准界定不准等问题","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The organiser's notice said the case exposed lax vetting of entries and imprecise judging criteria in its own work.","causal_attribution":"The organiser's notice as quoted by People's Daily Online."}],"effects":[{"label":"the winning entry's first prize was cancelled and the work barred from competitions, exhibitions and archives after the organiser confirmed it was AI-made","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202607/15/WS6a574bcca310986e2b4656af.html","kind":"news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-19; no translation was involved and no human reviewer read the article. China Daily, 15 July 2026, by Chen Meiling and Yuan Hui. The organiser's notice, the competition rules and the winning image were not inspected; their content is as China Daily describes it.","independence_group":"hohhot-federation-notice"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://m.gmw.cn/2026-07/14/content_1304532389.htm","kind":"news","access":"read","language":"zh","translation_note":"Read in Chinese by the verifier (an AI research agent) on 2026-10-19 and translated by it; no human translator or reviewer. Guangming Online page carrying a People's Daily Online Inner Mongolia report of 14 July 2026 that quotes the Hohhot federation's notice.","independence_group":"hohhot-federation-notice"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["unknown"],"contexts":["everyday_life"],"unknowns":["Who the entrant was and whether the entrant made or knew of the AI generation.","Which AI tool was used.","What the competition rules said about AI.","Who was held responsible and how."],"geography":{"basis":"China Daily reports the competition was held in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, and was open to local residents; the entrant's own location is not stated. No court proceeding is reported.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["CN"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a sanction for AI use: China Daily reports that the organiser of a Hohhot photography competition confirmed after an investigation that the winning photo was AI-generated and cancelled its first prize. The entrant's account is not reported and the record rests on the organiser's notice as reported by China Daily and quoted by People's Daily Online.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-19"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The harm is a competition organiser's sanction in response to AI use. China Daily reports that Hohhot's federation of literary and art circles, after an investigation, confirmed in a notice that the winning photo had been created using AI, and then cancelled the award. The technical basis of the organiser's finding is not reported, and no source describes an AI system producing output about the entrant, so the relation is unknown under the consequential-response exemption.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["unknown"]},"name":"Hohhot: photography competition revokes its first prize after the organiser confirms the winning image was AI-generated, China Daily reports","summary":"China Daily reported on 15 July 2026 that the first prize in a local photography competition in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, had been revoked after the image was found to be AI-generated. Online users had pointed to garbled characters on the workers' vests, unnatural sunlight and matching faces in the winning photo of three sanitation workers. After an investigation, the city's federation of literary and art circles, one of the organisers, confirmed in a notice on Tuesday 14 July that the photo had been created using AI, cancelled its award and barred the work from competitions, evaluations, exhibitions and official archives. The competition was suspended for rectification; the notice said those responsible would be dealt with under the relevant rules and that the case exposed lax vetting and imprecise judging criteria. The entrant is not named, and who generated the image is not stated.","incidentDate":"2026-07-14","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-07-15","aiSystem":"An unidentified AI image tool that, according to the organiser's notice as reported by China Daily, was used to create the winning photograph","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm","other_material_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to China Daily, the organiser of a Hohhot photography competition cancelled the winning entry's first prize and barred the work from competitions, exhibitions and archives after confirming the image was created with AI.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person is counted: the entrant whose first prize was cancelled (China Daily, citing the organiser's notice). Counted outside own use because the report does not say who generated the image. Those 'held responsible' are not counted because the report does not say who they were or what happened to them.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"CN","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"internal_action","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202607/15/WS6a574bcca310986e2b4656af.html","primarySourceLabel":"China Daily, 15 July 2026: Hohhot photography prize revoked after winning image found to be AI-generated","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-19T03:16:41.41756+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-19T03:16:41.41756+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-generated-image","photography-competition","award-revoked","china","consequential-response"]},{"id":"2026-nikon-microscopy-video-contest-winner-disqualified-under-generative-ai-rules","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Nikon has determined that the winning video did not comply with the competition rules regarding generative AI. Nikon has adjusted the competition rankings to reflect this decision,” a Nikon spokesperson tells PetaPixel.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Nikon has determined that the winning video did not comply with the competition rules regarding generative AI,” Nikon Instruments Inc. posted in a statement.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'After thoroughly re-evaluating the video and supporting materials and consulting with members of our judging panel, Nikon has determined that the winning video did not comply with the competition rules regarding generative AI. Nikon has adjusted the competition rankings on our website to reflect this decision.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Nikon said that after re-evaluating the video and supporting materials and consulting its judging panel it had determined that the winning video did not comply with the competition rules regarding generative AI, and it adjusted the rankings.","causal_attribution":"Nikon's own statement of its decision, relayed by three outlets; the statement on Nikon's site was not inspected."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'had acknowledged using AI, but said he believed he had followed the rules, and had cooperated with Nikon's investigation.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"BBC Newsround reported that the entrant had acknowledged using AI but said he believed he had followed the rules and had cooperated with Nikon's investigation.","causal_attribution":"The entrant's account as reported by the BBC; his own statement was not inspected."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'said he used AI “to distinguish and visualize features in the reconstructed grayscale images”; however, he denied that AI was used “to generate the experimental movie, the cilia, or their motion.”'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Ars Technica, citing a BBC report, said the entrant described using AI to distinguish and visualise features in reconstructed grayscale images and denied that AI was used to generate the movie, the cilia or their motion.","causal_attribution":"The entrant's explanation relayed second-hand; it contradicts the critics' view that the video was generated."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'“purple structures pop in and out of existence” and “green cilia also appear from nowhere and do not match the known size.”'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'I knew immediately that the video was AI generated and put my reputation on the line by being the first to publicly say so on LinkedIn.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Scientists publicly said the video did not appear to show real cilia, one saying structures appear from nowhere and another saying he knew immediately that the video was AI generated.","causal_attribution":"Two different scientists' public statements, reported by two outlets; neither establishes how the video was made."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'“this particular use of AI—as a tool for enhancement of microscopy-generated source data, not for image generation from scratch—to be in compliance with the rules set forth by the competition”'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"According to The Scientist, Nikon had earlier said that the entrant's use of AI, as a tool to enhance microscopy-generated source data, complied with the competition rules.","causal_attribution":"Nikon's earlier position as quoted by The Scientist, later reversed by its decision."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The winner of the Nikon Small World in Motion competition is under investigation after scientists accused'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"PetaPixel reported on 1 October 2026 that the winner of the competition was under investigation after scientists accused the entrant of using AI.","causal_attribution":"Dates the review that preceded the decision."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'It should not be interpreted as a judgment of the entrant’s professional reputation, scientific contributions, or intent.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'This decision is based solely on the submitted video’s eligibility under the rules outlined for this competition. It should not be interpreted as a judgment of the entrant’s professional reputation, scientific contributions, or intent.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Nikon said its decision rested solely on the video's eligibility under the competition rules and should not be read as a judgment of the entrant's professional reputation, scientific contributions or intent.","causal_attribution":"Nikon's qualification of its own decision."},{"id":"c8","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The other winners also moved up a notch'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'The awards have been updated accordingly on the Nikon Small World website.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"After the disqualification the runner-up became the winner and the other winners moved up a place.","causal_attribution":"Consequence of the decision for the rankings; Nikon's site was not inspected."},{"id":"c9","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'says he ran the video through Google Gemini, and the result came back with an invisible Google SynthID watermark that indicates at least some of the video is AI-generated.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"PetaPixel reported on 1 October 2026 that a medical student said he ran the video through Google Gemini and the result showed an invisible Google SynthID watermark indicating that at least some of the video is AI-generated.","causal_attribution":"A third party's own test as reported by PetaPixel; Nikon did not say what its checks found or whether it relied on any watermark."},{"id":"c10","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Nikon launched an investigation, and announced its conclusion in a statement Friday.'; 'Nikon also said it would revisit its rules and evaluation procedures for the annual competition in future.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"}],"assertion":"CNN reported on Monday 12 October 2026 that Nikon announced its conclusion in a statement on Friday, that is 9 October 2026, and that Nikon said it would revisit its rules and evaluation procedures for the competition.","causal_attribution":"Nikon's statement as reported by CNN; the date is computed from CNN's Friday reference in a report dated Monday 12 October."}],"effects":[{"label":"the entrant lost the first-place award after Nikon found the video broke its generative-AI rules","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://petapixel.com/2026/10/09/nikon-disqualifies-winner-of-small-world-in-motion-competition-for-using-ai/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English in full; no translation was needed. The live page refused the fetcher (HTTP 403); the article was read in a Wayback Machine capture of the same URL. It quotes a Nikon spokesperson.","independence_group":"petapixel-oct-2026"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/cxnv0qgg7qdzo","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English in full; no translation was needed.","independence_group":"bbc-newsround-oct-2026"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.the-scientist.com/nikon-disqualifies-winning-video-over-ai-use-following-weeks-of-controversy-75123","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English in full; no translation was needed. It quotes a Nikon statement, a Nikon spokesperson email and a scientist interviewed by the magazine.","independence_group":"the-scientist-oct-2026"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/10/winning-nikon-small-world-in-motion-video-disqualified-for-ai-use/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English in full; no translation was needed. It reproduces the Nikon statement and attributes the entrant's explanation to a BBC report.","independence_group":"ars-technica-oct-2026"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://petapixel.com/2026/10/01/nikon-re-reviewing-winner-of-small-world-in-motion-contest-after-ai-accusation/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English in full; no translation was needed. The live page refused the fetcher (HTTP 403); the article was read in a Wayback Machine capture of the same URL.","independence_group":"petapixel-oct-2026"},{"id":"s6","url":"https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/12/science/nikon-revokes-small-world-prize-intl-scli","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English in full on 2026-10-13 (cnn.com HTTP 200; the same text is syndicated on MSN). It quotes Nikon's statement and the entrant's LinkedIn comments. No translation was needed.","independence_group":"cnn-oct-2026"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use"],"contexts":["work"],"unknowns":["Which AI software the entrant used and how much of the video it produced.","What checks Nikon carried out; a spokesperson said it could not comment on the details.","When Nikon made the decision; CNN reports that Nikon announced it in a statement on Friday 9 October 2026.","Whether the entrant contests the decision.","Whether Nikon relied on any watermark check; the SynthID result PetaPixel reported is a third party's own test."],"geography":{"basis":"The inspected sources do not locate the competition decision, and they give conflicting institutional affiliations for the entrant, so no country is recorded.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a sanction for an entrant's AI use: Nikon stripped the winning video of its first place after finding it broke the contest's generative-AI rules. The entrant acknowledged using AI and said he believed he followed the rules, and the record states both accounts.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-13"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The harm is a competition organiser's sanction in response to an entrant's use of AI. Nikon said it determined that the winning video did not comply with the competition rules regarding generative AI, and BBC Newsround reported that the entrant acknowledged using AI. No source describes an AI system producing output about the entrant, so the relation is unknown under the consequential-response exemption.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["unknown"]},"name":"Nikon disqualifies the winning video of its 2026 Small World in Motion microscopy contest, saying it broke the contest's generative-AI rules","summary":"In October 2026 Nikon disqualified the first-placed video in its 2026 Small World in Motion microscopy video competition, saying that after re-evaluating the video and supporting materials with its judging panel it had determined the entry did not comply with the competition rules on generative AI, and it moved the other winners up. Scientists had publicly questioned whether the video, presented as beating cilia from a child's airway, showed real cells. The entrant had acknowledged using AI but, according to BBC Newsround, said he believed he had followed the rules. Nikon said the decision was not a judgment of the entrant's professional reputation, scientific contributions or intent.","incidentDate":"2026-10-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-10-09","aiSystem":"Unidentified AI software the entrant acknowledged using in producing the video; Nikon found the entry broke its generative-AI rules, and the entrant said he used AI to distinguish and visualise features rather than to generate the movie (as reported)","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["professional_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"The entrant lost the first-place award after Nikon decided, in response to his use of AI, that the video broke its generative-AI rules (Nikon statement as reported).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":1,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One entrant, whose winning video was disqualified (Nikon statement as reported by BBC Newsround and PetaPixel). Counted under own use because he used the AI software. Patients and support groups that a scientist said were affected by the controversy are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"internal_action","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://petapixel.com/2026/10/09/nikon-disqualifies-winner-of-small-world-in-motion-competition-for-using-ai/","primarySourceLabel":"PetaPixel, 9 October 2026: Nikon disqualifies winner of Small World in Motion competition for using AI","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-12T03:16:08.397971+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-13T03:15:47.413262+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["consequential-response","generative-ai-rules","competition","disqualification","microscopy","science-imaging"]}]}