Complete beginnerLesson 4 of 56 min read
Recognising a fabricated image or voice
A course from the Academy: Doubt, verify, cross-check.
Go to the quiz ↓The text isn't the only thing at stake. Images, voices and videos can now be produced in seconds, and the standard is improving fast.
The tell-tale signs, and their expiry date
Text in the image no longer counts. It used to be the most reliable clue, but it isn't anymore: the best models now write perfectly legible shop signs and labels. If you take only one thing from this list, it's that it goes out of date, and quickly.
Hands, teeth, ears. Count the fingers. Repetitive details remain difficult.
Backgrounds. Blurred, distorted faces in a crowd, a pattern that doesn't line up.
Skin that's too smooth and light that's too perfect. An ordinary photograph has flaws.
The real reflex isn't visual
These clues will disappear. This one will remain: where does this image come from?
An image circulating without a source, without a location, without a date, without any outlet picking it up, should be treated as unverified, whether it looks real or not. It's provenance that constitutes proof, not appearance.
The opposite effect, worth knowing about
The risk isn't just believing a fake. It's also no longer believing a real one. When everything becomes falsifiable, anyone can claim an authentic image is fabricated. Doubting everything isn't critical thinking, it's the same surrender.
What to do now
Search for "AI-generated image" and look at ten of them. Then look at the hands.
Key concepts
Complete the lesson
A 4-question quiz: 3 correct answers are enough, plus an exercise to practise. It opens in the Academy, on this same lesson.
Take the quiz and complete the lesson Free. With an account, your progress is saved and leads to the course certificate.