Sony World Photography Award 2023 winner reveals photo was AI generated

Apr 18 2023

The winner of a prestigious photography award has turned down his prize after revealing that his work was in fact AI generated.

German artist Boris Eldagsen inputted his entry into the Sony World Photography Award, entitled ‘Pseudomnesia: The Electrician’. He said that he used the picture to test the competition itself and create a discussion about photography’s future when contrasted with artificial intelligence.

BBC News was informed by organisers of the award that Eldagsen misled them about the extent of AI that would be involved.

Eldagsen himself backed this through a statement on his website, saying that he was a ‘cheeky monkey’. He thanked the judges for selecting the image and making this a historic moment.

‘AI images and photography should not compete with each other in an award like this’ he stated. ‘They are different entities. AI is not photography. Therefore I will not accept the award.’

He also stated that photography competitions are not prepared for artificial intelligence and that this should spark an immediate and urgent debate about the issue.

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Malta U16 end Development Tournament with a win over Faroe Islands

Apr 18 2023

The Malta U16 girls team defeated the Faroe Islands 2-1 to place second in this edition of the UEFA Development Tournament.

They ended this adventure with 5 points, tied with Latvia, however Malta won the direct encounter.

Slovakia topped the table with eight points.

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Inclusion Minister calls for ‘gaslighting’ to be considered domestic abuse

Apr 18 2023

Minister for Inclusion, Voluntary Work and Consumer Rights Julia Farrugia Portelli addressed parliament yesterday, wherein she called for ‘gaslighting’ to be considered as a criminal offence in domestic violence legislation.

Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation which involves the abuser creating self-doubt in the victim’s mind when they are being accused of something.

Farrugia Portelli drew on the UK as an example, where laws have already been strengthened to include the phenomenon as a crime, punishable even with a maximum five year jail term.

Stating that she is a survivor of domestic violence herself, the Minister said that abusers use language that demeans the victim by calling them mad or paranoid.

They even try to twist words, she said, by saying that the victim ‘cannot take a joke’ or ‘is imagining things.’ The Minister said that she experienced this herself and whenever she brought it up in parliament, she received the support of others who suffered gaslighting.

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Rosianne Cutajar replaced as Social Affairs Committee chair

Apr 18 2023

Following a motion presented by Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri on Monday, Rosianne Cutajar has been replaced as head of the Social Affairs Committee by MP Katya De Giovanni.

Meanwhile, Randolph Debattista will also join the committee as a member, given that parliamentary committees are made up of three government MPs and two Opposition MPs.

This follows Cutajar’s resignation from the Labour Party after author Mark Camilleri published WhatsApp chats between her and Yorgen Fenech, who is currently being charged with Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Despite her resignation from the party, Cutajar will remain as an independent MP.

#MaltaDaily