By: Rachel Chen

Recently, AI photo generators have been fooling numerous people all over the Internet. This month, an AI photo of Katy Perry at the 2023 Met Gala shocked audiences on social media.

However, she didn’t actually go. The carpet in the picture was actually from the 2018 Met Gala Event. Many people could not believe that this photo was made using AI.

This photo shows how AI has the power to create extremely realistic photos. Now it has become very hard to tell whether something is AI generated or real and numerous people are getting fooled. However, there are still some ways to tell.

First of all, AI generators find it hard to incorporate extreme details in images. In general, an image may look real, but after taking a closer look, you may notice some things are off. For example, details on hands may seem unnaturally shaped. Another example is when detailed words look like gibberish.

Another way to identify an AI image is if the image is too perfect. A picture that is AI generated would probably have an “airbrushed” look, resulting in a blended, smooth, and “perfect” appearance.

One more sign that the picture is AI generated is the location of the image. AI images are often set in a perfect location or fantasy world, genuinely somewhere that seems unreal.

Another good option to tell if an image is made by AI is doing a reverse search. A reverse search identifies places on the Internet where the image you are searching for already exists. These online sites can help you determine if the picture is real or not. Also, AI photos will appear in less places online than real photos do, so they will show up less frequently on the Internet.

Image Credit by Askar Abayev