As artificial intelligence (AI) technology becomes more sophisticated, scammers are taking advantage of its capabilities to create images, sounds, and videos that look like the real thing.
This trend has raised concerns about the spread of misinformation and deception.
Kristin Matthews, marketing and communications manager at Better Business Bureau Atlantic, says people need to be vigilant when identifying AI-generated content to avoid falling victim to fraud. Especially now that scammers can copy the testimonials of their loved ones from social media, adding a new level of credibility to the scam.
Identifying AI-generated images requires finding high-resolution images, zooming in to find discrepancies, looking for asymmetries and physical anomalies, and observing strange textures and gloss effects. she says.
For AI-generated videos, watch out for strange shadows, blurring, flickering lights, unnatural body language, and listen for audio irregularities, says Matthews. To verify the authenticity of a photo or video, she said, you should check the source and do a reverse image search.
Matthews says AI technology is constantly evolving, so fraudsters typically make fewer and fewer mistakes.
She said it’s important for people to be digitally literate to discern these kinds of things and realize that ‘seeing is believing’ anymore. Matthews said it’s important to recognize that as AI technology continues to evolve and improve, so too will the tips to protect yourself over time. Because these videos and photos do exist, she encourages people to check the facts and do their due diligence before believing or sharing them.
