How to Spot AI-Generated Images: 5 Easy Tricks

AI-generated images have become shockingly realistic. They're used in dating scams, fake news, fraudulent shopping sites, and social media manipulation. Learning to spot them is now an essential skill. Here are 5 easy tricks that work even as AI gets better.

Trick 1: Check the Hands

Hands remain AI's biggest weakness. Look for:

• Wrong number of fingers - Extra or missing digits
• Impossible bends - Fingers bending the wrong way
• Melting appearance - Fingers merging together
• Missing joints - Smooth where knuckles should be
• Inconsistent sizing - Fingers different thicknesses

AI struggles with hands because they're complex and appear in countless positions. When in doubt, zoom in on the hands first.

Trick 2: Examine the Eyes

Eyes often reveal AI images:

• Asymmetry - Eyes at slightly different heights or sizes
• Strange reflections - Light sources that don't match
• Dead stare - Lack of natural eye movement or life
• Wrong direction - Eyes looking at slightly different places
• Unusual iris patterns - Too perfect or strangely detailed

Pay special attention to the catchlights (reflections in the eyes). In real photos, both eyes reflect the same light sources in the same pattern.

Trick 3: Look at the Background

Backgrounds often contain AI tells:

• Warped lines - Straight edges that bend or curve
• Impossible architecture - Buildings that couldn't exist
• Inconsistent blur - Sharp and blurry in wrong places
• Repeating patterns - Trees, windows, or objects that clone
• Nonsensical elements - Things that don't belong together

AI focuses processing power on the main subject. Backgrounds often get less attention and show more errors.

Trick 4: Read Any Text

Text in AI images is often garbled:

• Nonsensical words - Letters that don't form real words
• Mixed alphabets - Characters from different languages
• Warped letters - Text that bends or stretches oddly
• Inconsistent fonts - Letters styled differently
• Floating text - Words not attached to surfaces properly

If an image shows a sign, book, shirt, or any text, zoom in. AI frequently fails at text generation.

Use our [AI Image Detector](/tools/ai-image-detector) to analyze suspicious images.

Trick 5: Assess the Overall Feel

Sometimes AI images just feel "off":

• Too perfect - Skin, lighting, composition all flawless
• Uncanny valley - Something unsettling you can't pinpoint
• Stock photo energy - Generic, overly polished quality
• Inconsistent style - Parts that don't match aesthetically
• Missing imperfections - Real photos have flaws

Trust your instincts. Our brains are remarkably good at detecting subtle wrongness, even when we can't articulate why.

Real-World Applications

Dating Profiles

Romance scammers use AI to create attractive fake profiles. Red flags:

• Model-perfect appearance with no candid shots
• Only professional-looking photos
• Reverse image search shows no results
• Hands always hidden or cut off

News and Social Media

Fake news images spread misinformation. Check:

• Multiple sources for the same event
• Reverse image search for origin
• News outlet credibility
• Image metadata if available

Shopping Sites

Scam sites use AI product photos. Warning signs:

• Products that look too perfect
• Stock-looking lifestyle images
• No user-submitted photos in reviews
• Same images across different "brands"

Using Detection Tools

Several AI detection tools can help:

• Hive Moderation - Good accuracy, easy to use
• Illuminarty - Analyzes multiple indicators
• AI or Not - Quick yes/no assessment
• Content Credentials - Checks for authenticity markers

But remember: these tools aren't perfect. They work best on:

• Full-resolution, unedited images
• Recent AI generators they've been trained on
• Clear, uncompressed images

They struggle with:

• Heavily edited or filtered images
• Older or obscure AI generators
• Low-resolution or compressed images

The Bottom Line

AI image generation improves monthly. Some AI images are now indistinguishable from real photos. But these 5 tricks catch most fakes:

1. Check hands for impossible anatomy
2. Examine eyes for asymmetry and strange reflections
3. Look at backgrounds for warping and impossibilities
4. Read any text for garbled letters
5. Trust your instincts when something feels off

Combine visual inspection with reverse image search and detection tools for the best results. In high-stakes situations (sending money, believing news), always verify through multiple methods.

Use our [AI Image Detector](/tools/ai-image-detector) to analyze any suspicious image.