Putting a White Box in the Black Box

In April 2023, I turned down a Sony World Photography Award because the image I submitted was AI-generated. My rejection of the award was motivated by the need to distinguish more clearly between photography and AI-generated images (promptography) and to initiate a discussion on the future relationship between the two. This essay is intended to contribute to this discussion by working out the differences in motivation and workflow and taking a close look at the future cooperation between man and machine.