Caution is this for real?
I like to get up early and get in a run before the hustle and bustle of the day starts. I usually watch the news to get caught up on happenings around the world. This week the news had a segment on AI generated photos. Three photos were placed on the screen and viewers were asked to decipher which photo had been AI generated. It was extremely difficult to tell the difference. I happened to choose the wrong photo. The interviewee proceeded to give some pointers on how to identify if an image is real or AI generated. A few ideas are to check for texture and resolution errors such as areas that are smooth should be more rigid. Check for shadowing. AI can have a difficult time creating accurate shadows. Not only can AI generate photos but authentic images can be edited.
Two years ago, my family went on a Spring Break trip to
Puerto Rico! My husband and I googled lots of different activities and ideas of
excursions we’d like to do while there. One of which was a Bioluminescent boat
tour. What we saw when we went to book the tour was the following picture with
beautiful glowing water. We researched the best day for the glowing water to be
present and booked the tour.
Bioluminescent
Boat Tour [Photograph]. (2025, April 5). Retrieved from https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/article/guide-to-exploring-puerto-ricos-bioluminescent-bays
However, what we saw when we got there was very little glowing
water. Businesses can use image editing to enhance visuals for their marketing
and advertising. For us it was the presentation of the product that encouraged
us to buy the product, a boat tour. Editing images can be a powerful tool to
promote a product. The way a product is presented matters. It can capture the
attention of a potential buyer and gives a first impression of the product.
Image editing/ enhancing encourages potential buyers to buy the product. Image
editing can also be beneficial for branding purposes allowing for this same
consistency across products and website.
Alicia-
ReplyDeleteInsightful post! I agree that it is challenging to differentiate between AI and real photos! You shared a couple of tips for spotting a fake. I have some additional ideas to add! One is to scan for disproportionate body parts. AI can sometimes get confused by limbs or small details such as correct finger count or humanlike dental characteristics. A second tip is to look for imperfect writing or text. If a picture includes signage, double-check that the words within the sign are nonsensical; it’s probably a fake image. AI may not know what to put on a street sign, storefront, or name-brand-specific clothing, so that can be a dead giveaway that something is amiss. Next, you can scour the image to see if there are fluctuating levels of details within the image. IF some areas of the photo appear very detailed and others are blurred, it might be AI. Fourth, when in doubt, AI detector tools, like AI or Not or Illuminarty, can help decipher if an image is real or fake. It’s as easy as you drop, drag, or upload the picture, and it’ll investigate. As we seek to train our brains to detect AI images, we are preserving human-based creativity and intellectual integrity, as well as preventing digital deception.
-Jennifer
I really liked your post. It was such a fun mix of personal story and tech insight! I haven’t used AI-generated images myself, but it’s definitely interesting (and a little mind-blowing) how real they can look now. I probably would’ve picked the wrong one too!
ReplyDeleteYour story about the bioluminescent tour was such a great example of how powerful edited images can be. It’s amazing how much visuals can shape our expectations and how they can influence what we buy or sign up for. It made me think about how often we trust what we see online without questioning it.
Do you remember any other tips from that news segment about spotting AI images? I’d love to be better at spotting the fakes, especially with how fast this tech is moving.
Thanks for sharing! It definitely got me thinking.
Hi Faith, I think Jennifer beat me to the punch and answered your question with additional information to look for in photos. She gave a very great list to use. To add to what she said, you can always use an AI detector tool. They are easy to use and something I didn't know existed until I was doing a little more research for this post.
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