Methods to Detect Artificial Intelligence Generated Images

Artificial intelligence, one of the most remarkable advances in technology, has revolutionized the production of visual content. Today, photos, videos and animations produced with artificial intelligence can look so detailed and natural that they are almost indistinguishable from the real thing. However, this development has also brought with it the need to access accurate and reliable information in the digital environment. Because fake images can lead to the spread of misinformation. So, how can we detect this fake content? Here are a few effective ways to recognize AI-generated images.

Structural Analysis of the Image

AI-generated images often have certain structural characteristics. Compared to a real photograph, AI images often exhibit the following symptoms. Excessive Smoothness and Artificial Softness of Edges: AI-generated images often exhibit an artificial softness and excessive smoothness at the edges. This feature is rarely seen in real photographs, as natural images have certain irregularities.

• Lack of Natural Noise: Natural image noise can be present in real photographs, especially in low light conditions. In AI-generated images, such noise is often missing, which may indicate that the image is artificial.
• Compression Traces: AI-generated images may show signs of quality loss, such as compression marks or JPEG artifacts. In particular, pixelated areas and blurred regions may appear in such images.

Paying attention to these structural clues can help in understanding whether an image is AI-generated or not.

Anatomical and Physical Errors

Anatomical and physical inconsistencies are also common in AI-generated images. Such errors are particularly evident in human faces and body structures.

• Excessive Symmetry of Pupils: In AI-generated human faces, pupils are usually perfectly symmetrical. Since such symmetry is extremely rare for real people, the perfect alignment of the pupils is an important clue that the image is artificial.
• Incorrect Anatomical Details: AI can make some mistakes about the human body and face. For example, excessive number of fingers on the hands or misalignment of teeth can be observed. There may also be inconsistencies in the hairline or other small anatomical details.
• Light and Shadow Inconsistencies: In AI-generated images, light sources and shadows can sometimes be inconsistent. In real images, light sources are naturally distributed and shadows follow a certain pattern. In AI images, this may be distorted.

Such anatomical and physical errors provide critical clues for understanding whether an image is real or artificial.

Metadata and Watermark Control

Some of the images produced with AI are marked with watermarks by the creators. These watermarks can be a sign that the image is artificial. In addition, metadata also provides an important indicator.

• Metadata Check: The metadata of images includes information such as the software used, date of creation, and device. If an image's metadata was generated with AI-based software, this information can provide important clues about its authenticity.
• Watermarks: Some AI-enabled tools add watermarks to their images. These watermarks can be a sign that the image was created with AI.

Checking for these signs can help in understanding the source of the image.

Verifying the Source of the Image and Reverse Image Search

One of the fastest and most effective ways to determine the authenticity of an image is to do a reverse image search. This will help you determine if the image has been used before online and in what context.

• Reverse Image Search: With tools like Google Images or TinEye, you can search for sources where the image has been previously disseminated. If there is a reference where the image has been used before, this can provide clues about the accuracy of the image.
• Source Verification: By researching the sources and context in which the image was disseminated, you can check the accuracy of the content. Also, the dates when the image was published and the titles used can be useful to understand whether the image is authentic or not.

Tools that can be used for AI Visual Detection

Many online platforms offer tools developed to detect AI-generated images. These tools can help users to check the accuracy of images.

• Google Photos: Google offers tools to detect AI edits to photos. Tools such as Magic Editor notify the user of edits that would distort the natural structure of the images.
• OpenL AI Detector: This tool helps detect AI-generated content. To check the accuracy of images, OpenL quickly analyzes the source and context of the content.
• Gorsel.io: Gorsel.io is used for image enhancement and upscale, as well as for detecting the accuracy of AI-generated images.

Digital Literacy and Access to Trusted Content

Detecting images generated with artificial intelligence is extremely important for digital literacy. Content created with AI technology can be misleading and cause the spread of misinformation. However, with the methods mentioned above, it is possible to determine whether these images are accurate and reliable. With the increasing impact of AI-based images, we need to be more careful and conscious to access accurate information in the digital world. Therefore, it is the responsibility of every internet user to verify the source and test the reliability of digital content.