Nikon Re-reviews 16th Small World Winner Amid AI Watermark Criticism

1 articles · Updated · CNN · Oct 1

Nikon said it is carefully re-reviewing the information behind Ning Xu’s September-winning microscopy video after LinkedIn criticism questioned whether AI was used in the entry.
LinkedIn commenters cited biological behavior they said looked implausible, and one researcher said the clip carried a SynthID watermark that identifies synthetic or AI-generated content.
Xu told Nikon that AI did not generate the movie, cilia or their motion; he said it was applied only after grayscale reconstruction to distinguish and color similar structures.
The video shows abnormal beating of airway cilia in a child with primary ciliary dyskinesia, and Xu said fuller technical details and quantitative analysis are being prepared for publication.