Several tips are provided below for an easier identification of photos created by AI, to avoid becoming a victim of a visual manipulation.

  • Find the source of the image

To confirm the authenticity of a photo, look for its source. Check the comments under the image to find information about the original post. Run the image through Google Image Reverse Search, TinEye or Yandex. This can help you find the original source of an image. The results of this search may also serve as fact-checking, with credible media outlets providing additional information.

  • Look out for overly clean textures (smooth effect)

Look out for textures created by AI presenting an overly clean and unnatural look, giving the effect of a shiny plastic face. Pay particular attention to such details to identify a potential manipulation.

  • Look out for watermarks

Another valid sign for identifying images created by artificial intelligence is the presence of a watermark logo. DALL-E 2, for example, places them in every image obtained from its website, although it may not be immediately noticeable. You can find the watermark in the upper right corner of the image. If you notice the watermark, you can easily tell that the image was created using DALL-E 2.

  • Analyze the background

The background of the image can serve as another indicator to determine if the image is a manipulation. In manipulated images, background objects, such as streetlights, may be broken and distorted.

· Zoom in and look carefully

Images created by AI tend to look realistic and believable at first glance. Therefore, our first recommendation is to take a good look at the image. To do this, look for the highest resolution image and zoom in as much as you can with as fine a detail as possible. Zooming in on the image will reveal fakes or mistakes that are overlooked at first glance.

Is there a technological solution for identifying images created by AI?

A number of commercial software products claim to have the ability to identify "deepfakes", including offerings from tech giant Intel that boast 96% accuracy in identifying fake videos. However, these tools are limited, free online tools cannot accurately identify whether an image is created by AI or not.