AI-generated photos and newsreader

Artificial intelligence-generated images were once easily called off with alien-like facial features, anatomical mistakes, and garbled text. Still, text-to-image platforms like Midjourney and DALL-E are evolving. From pranksters to criminals, realistic images can now be created to trick people, steal money, and spread misinformation that is difficult even for experts to debunk. While many creators may create images with harmless intentions, ‘pictures’ can easily be shared in the wrong context, spreading across countries and social media platforms.

Here is a collection of 10 AI-generated images that have been used for everything from harmless entertainment to spreading hate. We’ll look at some telltale signs pointing to the origin of those machines, as well as some markers readers can use to flag such photos in the future.

1. Türkiye and Syria Earthquake Relief

This makes AI-generated images easily identifiable thanks to an unnatural paint effect that smoothes out details and imperfections that would be visible in a real photo. If that isn’t enough evidence, so are the strange earlobes of the rescuer, the perfectly visible Turkish flag on the child’s sleeve, and an improperly proportioned hand with a missing thumb joint.

2. The Pope in a Fluffy Coat

This image of the pope in fashionably dressed quickly went viral online, even though it was quickly dismissed as being AI-generated due to its improbable nature. Contextual cues, such as people doing out-of-personality cues, help users flag photos as AI-generated. The missing crucifix chain on one side of the Pope, distorted fingers, and deformed glasses further confirm that this is an AI-generated image.

3. Elon Musk in a fluffy coat

In a mockery of the pope’s popularity, former Twitter CEO and billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk also shared a photo of himself in a similar white fluffy coat. Here, both the absence of Mr. Musk on the glass plate behind him and the overly smooth nature of his face reveal the roots of the AI-generated photo. Most candid photos taken with cameras outdoors reveal facial details such as wrinkles, moles, dimples, scars, and pores as the sun unevenly illuminates the skin.

Also read: ChatGPT and the future of journalism

4. Donald Trump Arrested

Made in Midjourney, this arrest photo was so compelling at first glance that it was retweeted thousands of times on Twitter, even though an explanation was added in a community note. Although misleading at first glance, it reveals some trademarks that AI conveys. One police officer has only four fingers and his thumb is believed to have been cut off. Another finger is distorted. One of the officers had a double-headed pen, and the two officers with the pen apparently tucked the pen into the top of the pocket’s flap, which is physically impossible, rather than inside the pocket itself. But the most obvious detail is the leg in the center of the image, which doesn’t seem to belong to anyone in particular.

5. Donald Trump Arrested, Continued

Another arrest photo shows Mr. Trump being dragged away while being held by police officers. This image was also made by the creator of the previous image (he then said he was expelled from Midjourney). You can see his legs distorted, an eerily blurry face that looks like he’s wearing a fur hat, and strange distortions in the fabric near Mr. Trump’s face.

6. Tesla CEO and GM CEO Husband and Wife

This paparazzi-style photo of the couple showed Tesla CEO Elon Musk and GM CEO Mary Barra outside together. Musk said the photo was fake and said he would never dress like that. He usually opts for completely casual or formal attire. However, aside from the context, clues such as the oddly shaped face in the background, the man whose eyeglass frames didn’t fit his face correctly, and Barra’s partially missing thumb, suggest that this image could be his AI. It is easier to classify as a generated image.

7. Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Police Officer

The most obvious sign of AI-generated images is the watermark visible to the human eye, as seen in this photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned police officer. Another commonality is that the overly smooth skin and scattered facial hair make the subject look like a doll. Furthermore, Modi’s chest badge does not contain actual letters or numbers. Rather, it is an AI-generated garbled approximation of characters commonly found on police badges.

8. Islamophobia created by AI

The following series of images appear to depict two respected figures in Islam and were used to hurt the feelings of the Muslim community. The account that posted these on Twitter admitted they were generated by AI, yet the images were retweeted hundreds of times. The main signs of AI origin include missing fingers and mismatched hands. Also notice the person in the background of the image on the right holding what appears to be a large stick in an unnatural way.

9. Prime Minister Narendra Modi Attends Party

The image could easily be mistaken for a photo taken at an actual cultural celebration or diplomatic summit, but the watermark, not from a major news agency, raises suspicions about the image. Add to that the unnaturally smooth skin of the main subject and some hands with partially or completely missing fingers.

10. President Joe Biden in the Rain

The image was shared on Twitter along with a false news update claiming that President Joe Biden fell in the rain. However, the fact that this image was generated by AI is evident in the sight of Mr. Biden collapsing and kneeling in a rainy street, without the presence of bodyguards or officials to help him. is. The strangely wrinkled thumb on his right hand is another characteristic of him. From now on, it will be something you can call yourself without the help of reverse image search or his AI image identifier.