How to tell whether a picture was made with AI

Extra limbs, mismatched patterns, and blurry letters are indicators that content was generated or edited using artificial intelligence.

When AI-generated photographs are continually becoming better, there are still clear evidence you should be aware of.

Hands and limbs

Many AI generators prefer to exaggerate, even though most persons have two limbs, two legs, and five fingers on each hand. With hands, modern technology is more precise, thus having six fingers or undifferentiated claws is uncommon. On the other hand, you might detect an overabundance of legs, strange-looking hands, or an arm encircling a shoulder that isn’t there in group settings.

Words

Text generators and image generators are not the same thing. Text generators create text, whereas image generators create images with text elements. Indications that an image generator is being used include misspelt words, letters that merge together, and unusual characters.

Hair

Human hair is made up of strands that descend from the head. AI-generated hair strands, on the other hand, might not have a distinct beginning or finish and, up close, look more painted. It’s crucial to remember, though, that standard picture compression might potentially have comparable consequences.

Symmetry

When it comes to silverware or earrings, for example, mismatched items are unusual and are usually seen in pairs or groups. When drawing the right side of a face, some AI systems could overlook the left side’s rendering.

Textures

It is well recognised that rendering recurring patterns, textiles, and textures can be difficult. In actuality, wallpaper with flowery patterns repeats exactly stroke for stroke, and bricks are usually the same size and shape throughout a building. It’s interesting to note that in this case, tiny differences are more suggestive of fakery than big ones. A dress with poorly done needlework may have an uneven pattern, but a gingham print at the top and bottom of the leg is unlikely to be different.

Geometry

Analyse how an image is put together and the items that are included. Do the right angles actually have a right angle? Does a background bookshelf blend in well with a wall? How can a sofa fit behind a table that seems to be flush with the wall? If not, a system that is incapable of processing three-dimensional space could have created the image.

Consistency

Do multiple photos purport to show the same subject? Examine them side by side! In practice, creating several photos of the same location at different times and from different viewpoints is simple, but in AI, it may be extremely complex. Even virtual space video makers, like as Sora, frequently refrain from panning back to reveal content they had previously panned away from. They are reluctant to do this because it would mean that they have “forgotten” what was initially present.

Don’t get hung up on AI

If you find yourself closely examining an image to look for indications that artificial intelligence was used to create it, pause to consider how trustworthy your gut feels. The image may not even be artificial intelligence (AI)-generated; instead, it may be the result of an AI face swap, altered with conventional Photoshop techniques, completely staged, or simply incorrectly labelled (known as a “cheapfake”). It is not a guarantee of correctness just because an AI was not utilised to generate anything completely new.