21+ hour, 42+ min ago (1476+ words) A Christmas art poster contest in Bozeman exploded into controversy after the winning design was accused of being generated by artificial intelligence. The Downtown Bozeman Partnership pulled the winning design entirely citing safety concerns. BOZEMAN, Mont. " What began as a small-town art contest to create a poster for a beloved holiday tradition has snowballed into an avalanche of controversy and media attention for the contest's winner." The 45th Annual Christmas Stroll poster competition in Bozeman offered a modest $200 prize. It ended with accusations, investigations, online harassment, and a decision by the Downtown Bozeman Partnership to pull the winning design entirely citing safety concerns. The winner, artist Ghassane Moutaoukil, has steadfastly denied using AI to generate his illustration of revelers beneath Christmas lights on a wintry Bozeman street. At the same time, local artists claim they could replicate his style using ChatGPT....