Beyond the Prompt: Boris Eldagsen & the New Value of Human Judgment

AI Can Generate. Can You Judge? Boris Eldagsen & the New Rules of Knowledge WorkIn 2023, Boris Eldagsen won the Creative Open category of the Sony World Photography Awards with an AI-generated image—and then refused the prize.The experiment exposed a larger problem: technology was moving faster than the institutions responsible for evaluating, regulating, and governing it.Boris Eldagsen is a Berlin-based artist, philosopher, educator, consultant, and early practitioner of generative AI. He works directly with emerging models, tests new systems, teaches AI workflows, and advises organizations navigating the shift from traditional production to human–AI collaboration.In this episode, we move beyond the question of whether AI-generated images qualify as photography.Instead, we examine what happens when producing an answer, image, strategy, or piece of work becomes nearly effortless.What becomes more valuable when output becomes abundant?Boris argues that AI is a knowledge amplifier. It rewards people who understand their domain, can provide useful context, recognize weak output, and make deliberate decisions about what happens next.