The organisers of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity have added 'enhanced measures to ensure that the awards remain robust in the era of synthetic content, media, and generative AI'.

This comes after DM9's Grand Prix winning work 'Efficient Way to Pay' for Consul, was withdrawn.

The agency had used AI-generated and manipulated content within the case film to simulate real world events and campaign outcomes, resulting in the jury being presented with inaccurate information during their deliberations.

According to a statement from the organisers, this breached the Cannes Lions entry rules on factual representation, and undermined the trust placed in the work by the jury. It added that 'Cannes Lions exists to celebrate creativity that is real, representative, and responsible.'

The entry was withdrawn mutually by the agency and the organisers. 

Post this, DM9 has chosen to withdraw the entries ‘Plastic Blood’ for OKA Biotech, and ‘Gold = Death’ for Urihi Yanomami. All parties acknowledge that the level of legitimacy does not meet the necessary standard. All prizes will be withdrawn as a result.

After the investigation, the agency's chief creative officer and co-president, Icaro Doria stepped down from his role taking accountability and publically acknowledging a series of errors in the entry. Doria also served as jury president of this year’s Print & Publishing Lions category. 

The enhanced measures added by the Lions team to ensure this doesn't happen again include:

Commitment
An enhanced Code of Conduct that must be signed by all participating organisations.

Transparency
Mandatory AI disclosure as part of the entry process, with non-disclosure constituting grounds for disqualification or withdrawal.

Detection
Content detection tools may be used to help identify manipulated case films and materials.

Adjudication
A dedicated review committee comprising experts in AI, ethics, and content integrity.

These measures will be supported by formal enforcement procedures, including potential disqualification, public disclosure, or award withdrawal where necessary.