How to Spot AI Generated Images
Hi there, Ai Art Central here. Have you heard of deep fakes? They’re AI generated images that can be used for all sorts of purposes, from creating fake news to entirely fictional people. It’s important to be able to spot these images, so you don’t get fooled. In this article, I’m going to go over a few ways you can tell if an image was created using an AI image generator.
Watermarks
One way to tell if an image was created using an AI image generator is to look for a watermark. Some generators, like Dolly, include a watermark on their images. However, it’s important to note that these watermarks can be easily removed, and not all AI image generators include them. It’s also possible that in the future, it will become required to watermark AI generated images.
Lack of Realism
Another way to tell if an image was created using an AI image generator is to look for a lack of realism. AI generated images may look cartoonish or like paintings, and they may have elements that are hard to identify or that don’t exist in real life. You might also notice distorted shapes and lines, or unrealistic colors in the image.
Distorted Elements
If the image is of a person or an animal, pay close attention to the detail in the hands and face. AI generated images may contain artifacts or other visual glitches, such as distorted hands or eyes. This is because AI models may not always know the appropriate way to hold a head or hand in a given context, leading to distorted images of humans and animals. Some AI image generators may be designed to intentionally distort elements, which can be a dead giveaway that the image was created using an AI.
Inconsistencies in Reflections and Backgrounds
Take a closer look at the reflections and backgrounds in the image. AI image generators may get a bit lazy and not always get these right. Flip over any reflections to see if there are discrepancies, and look for repeated patterns that draw the eye. For example, the same object or scene may be repeated multiple times within the same image, or a pattern may repeat when it should be more random.
Misspelled Text
If there is text in the image, it’s a good idea to take a closer look at it. AI image generators often struggle with text, so you might notice letters that are scrambled or repeated, or words that are misspelled.
Do Your Research
Sometimes, everything may look fine on the surface, and all the visual evidence points to the image being real. In these cases, it’s a good idea to do a bit of research and try to find out more about the image. When an image is shared online, there is usually some information about where it came from and who created it. By doing a bit of digging, you may be able to find out if the image is real or if it was created using an AI image generator.
Conclusion
AI generated images, or deep fakes, can be used for all sorts of purposes, and it’s important to be able to spot them. By looking for watermarks, a lack of realism, distorted elements, inconsistencies in reflections and backgrounds, misspelled text, and doing a bit of research, you can get a good idea of whether an image was created using an AI image generator.