By: Elaine Li

An artificial intelligence (AI) image posted on X got over 16 million views and many viewers were surprised that the image was AI generated. AI images are becoming very realistic, but there are always some differences between AI images and real photos.

The first difference comes from the details. AI images actually take data from other photos, but AI might mess up on some specific details, including lighting, patterns, and logos, which might not look right.

Furthermore, if you’re looking at a person, some of the body parts might look a little odd. The skin might be too smooth, or a wrinkle might be out of place. All these tiny details will give away whether the image is real or not.

Similarly, animals in AI images might be in strange positions, or their body shape looks a little off. And the animals can sometimes appear in an environment that wouldn’t make sense in real life.

AI images are usually set in “perfect environments” where the streets and buildings are too clean to be true, or the cars are all shiny and spotless. Likewise, the trees might be too green or out of place. Even worse, the background won’t fit in with the characters. For example, an Arctic Penguin in the grass with a city in the background just doesn’t seem right.

In conclusion, AI images might seem very real, but if you look closer and use your common sense. The small details always illustrate the difference between the AI generated images and real photographs.