QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF WHILE EVALUATING IMAGES
- Do you think you're seeing a real image, or does something look modified?
- What elements are you seeing in the background and foreground of the image?
- Are elements (hands/arms/reflections, etc.) in proper alignment?
- Did you find and access this image on a reliable website/resource?
- Who is the credited source of the image? Can you trust that source?
TOOL FOR VETTING IMAGES
- Metadata Analysis: Look up an image's metadata if available, which can reveal date, location, copyright, etc. If accessing via a computer, right-click on the image > select properties to view this.
- Reverse Image Search: Using a reverse image search is often a great starting point when trying to analyze the authenticity of an image, particularly since it will pull up similar images for you to compare.
TIPS FOR SPOTTING AI-GENERATED IMAGES
As you analyze images — remember these key giveaways that an image might be AI:
- Unusual or Inconsistent Details: AI-generated images often contain minor, noticeable detail errors. Look for abnormalities like asymmetrical facial features, odd finger placement, or objects with strange proportions.
- Texture and Pattern Repetition: AI sometimes struggles with complex textures or patterns, leading to noticeable repetition or awkward transitions. Look for unnatural patterns in textures like hair, skin, clothing, or background elements.
- Lighting and Shadows: AI-generated images can have inconsistent or unrealistic lighting and shadows. Check to see if the lighting on different objects in the image matches and if the shadows are consistent with the light sources.
- Background Anomalies: Backgrounds in AI images can be a giveaway. Many are overly simplistic, overly complex, or contain elements that don’t belong. Pay attention to the background as much as the main subject.
- Facial Features: Faces generated by AI can sometimes appear slightly off. This can include oddities in the eyes (like reflections or iris shape), ears, or hair. These features are often subtly surreal or unnaturally symmetrical/asymmetrical.
- Contextual Errors: AI can struggle with context. An object might be out of place for the setting, or there might be a mismatch in the scale of objects. Consider whether everything in the image makes sense contextually.
- Text and Labels: AI often struggles with replicating coherent and contextually accurate text. If there’s text on the image, it can sometimes be jumbled, misspelled, or nonsensical in AI-generated images.
- Digital Artifacts: Look for signs of digital manipulation, like pixelation, strange colour patterns, or blur in areas where it doesn’t logically belong.
- Emotional Inconsistency: AI-generated faces may have expressions that don’t quite match the emotion or mood the image conveys.
SOURCE(S)
wwei8. “Spotting Ai: Knowing How to Recognise Real vs AI Images.” Britannica Education, 10 Oct. 2024, elearn.eb.com/real-vs-ai-images.
