Even light-hearted science competitions can no longer escape AI. The annual Dance Your PhD contest, run by Science magazine, is basically a dance-off for nerds, and it is delightful. Scientists explain their PhD via interpretive dance, gain internet fame, and win cash prizes. This year, researchers with less creative minds can submit AI-generated videos.
In addition to the usual four broad categories — physics, chemistry, biology, and social sciences — this year's competition includes a category for AI. The new "AI Dance Your Ph.D. Special Prize" category is slightly different. Unlike the other entries, AI videos must only "broadly describe a concept related" to the entrant's PhD, not explain the thesis. Science has, understandably, laid out strict rules for the use of artificial intelligence:
Any use of AI by the entrant to create the entry should be disclosed during submission. Entries to the AI Dance Your Ph.D. Special Prize in particular must provide "Methods and Disclosures" details through the entry form provided on the Site that describe the tools, programs, and approach used to create the entry with enough detail that another creator could reasonably reproduce the process. Specify any AI tools or programs used for filming, editing, and any visual effects or graphics. If AI tools were used at any stage (concept development, script writing, choreography suggestions, music generation, voice synthesis, visual effects, or video editing), name the specific tools and describe how they were used, including relevant prompts or settings. Use of copyrighted material, or material that clearly is strongly based on copyrighted material is not allowed. Impersonations of real people, other than the Ph.D. recipient submitting the dance or colleagues who have given express permission, are not allowed (AAAS may request copies of those permissions). By submitting an entry, you understand that a false or incomplete "Methods and Disclosures" description on your entry may result in disqualification
The ban on using AI doppelgangers and real people is especially welcome. No one wants to see Stephen Hawking with extra fingers or whatever other horrors AI-generated videos subject viewers to. The limitations set by the rules may discourage scientists from participating in the AI category in the first place. Or perhaps some lucky post-doc who has a thesis about why AI-generated videos are terrible has been waiting for just this opportunity.
The winners will be announced in March of 2026.
