Over recent months I have noticed an increase in AI content on social media. It was horrific to see several people interacting with the posts and actively engaging in the comments under the impression that it is legitimate footage. Now, this isn’t a new concept and believing what we see on the internet has been an issue since its start. However, I worry for individuals who weren’t exposed to the internet as much as myself that may have issues differentiating between AI and real content.
One of the features of AI is being able to take pictures of people and make images using a wide variety of content pulled from the internet. If you wanted a picture of yourself in a suit of armor – AI can easily generate that image for you. There are plenty of people who can and will use that to take advantage of others. That’s why it’s important to know how to differentiate between what is real and what is not.
For example, AI cannot make art as a human would. It can get close, but it will never perfect the human emotion and precision that is put into art.
Identifying AI is easy once you notice the errors it makes. I have provided two images that most people are probably familiar with. Both images depict the Disney castle. One of the images was created by AI after being prompted. How do we tell which one is which?
AI images tend to be more airbrushed and less natural, if you will. Less organic. It pulls from several images relating to what it was asked to create and meshes them together leaving some defects.
If you analyze the second image you will notice that, in comparison to the first, the structure of the castle isn’t exactly up to code. Some of the pillars are misshapen and what should be the front of the castle isn’t aligned. The entrance of this particular castle is typically front and center, not to the left.
Another dead giveaway is the background. If you look closely you can see that it has tried to make realistic scenery, but jumbled it all together in a non-functional way. The bridge on the left side of the castle is not symmetrical. Even the… street? The street next to it is just a jumbled mess trying to disguise itself as abstract.
One of my favorite things is how AI art attempts to depict hands. There are almost always six fingers on a person or maybe they are missing an arm. Sometimes the image can depict a human with three arms, but there is always something inaccurate. As you scroll through social media keep an eye out for these things and be aware of AI’s growing presence in society.
