Live event – Nikon Small World and AI: Where Should Scientific Imaging Draw the Line?
Posted by FocalPlane, on 13 October 2026
Posted on behalf of Peter O’Toole
On October 9th, Nikon announced that the original first-place video in its 2026 Small World in Motion competition did not meet its rules on generative AI and revised the rankings following a review with members of its judging panel. The decision provides a starting point for a wider conversation about AI in scientific imaging.
AI offers powerful ways to restore, analyze, and interpret microscopy images. How can we distinguish useful enhancement from generated detail, and what evidence helps us establish that a processed image faithfully represents the underlying biology?
In this quick-fire webinar, Peter O’Toole joins Simon Cleary, Pleasantine Mill and Florian Jug to explore these questions, drawing on perspectives from microscopy, cilia biology, and AI image analysis. The discussion will consider practical approaches to documenting image processing, validating results, and communicating clearly about AI use, alongside how shared guidance can support researchers, reviewers, and imaging competitions as the technology develops.
Please see more details and register:
https://events.bitesizebio.com/nikon-small-world-and-ai-where/join