Artificial intelligence or AI is becoming increasingly prevalent in our society, and with the rapid advancements in technology, it is getting much more difficult to decipher the difference between AI-generated content and real life.
With how difficult it is getting to distinguish the differences, it may be helpful to know what to look for to find out if something really is AI generated. So, here are some areas where you may encounter AI generated content and how you can tell if it is created by an AI or a human.
Text
AI generated text is a big thing now, with many AI programs such as ChatGPT having the ability to write full articles or papers with a few prompts. AI is very prevalent in education with many students using AI tools to help them write essays, complete assignments or supply answers for tests and exams.
There are some things you can look for when reading through articles or essays to determine if it has been written by a human or AI.
The first thing that may help you figure out if the text is written by AI is if there are no errors or typos. AI tools generate very clean looking sentences and almost no errors are present. Human writing tends to have some typos or incorrect uses of words, so if you are reading something that looks too perfect, it could be a hint that it was written using AI.
However, this does not always apply to all writing as some pieces can be done by someone who writes really well or it may have undergone revision from editors working with the writer. Given this, it can be a sign for you to look deeper for more evidence and proof of human writing.
Another thing you can look for are inconsistencies and repetition. AI writing might do this a lot as the AI tool will be relying on memorized patterns for assistance. If you notice a sudden change in tone or topic or you notice the same few words used many times, it could be a giveaway that the writing was created with AI.
Other aspects you can pay attention to are a lack of citations, fake sources and references with false information or a lack of emotion in the writing.
Photo: Emiliano Vittoriosi (Unsplash)
Images
There are many AI generated images in the media, but there are also some key aspects to pay attention to in order to determine if a picture was created by AI.
One thing you can look for are the details. When inspecting an image, pay close attention to details like the face, teeth, limbs, hands and other aspects. If any of these seem odd, for example, an additional finger or overly smooth facial complexion, that is a sign that the image was AI generated.
Another thing to pay attention to are distorted elements. AI images tend to struggle with minute details and most images appear ‘airbrushed’. Things like a distorted background or flowers that look too smooth and lack detail might tell you that it is an image created by AI.
When looking at images online, always be sure to pay close attention to all the details, and if you can, try reverse searching the image online to see if there are more results of the same image or there are little to no similar images. AI images typically appear less frequently in comparison to real pictures, so if there are not many similar images, then it is likely AI generated.
A reverse search could also lead you to the original source of the image, which can help you determine if the picture was created using AI or if it is a real image. Pay attention to things such as the name of the source or if the image comes from a reputable and trusted website.
Videos
You can spot an AI generated video by looking for things like people who do not blink, inconsistent lighting, audio that is out of sync with the video, or unnatural movements and expressions.
Make sure to look for how objects and humans interact. For example, an AI video of someone eating will look very odd with the food disappearing entirely after one bite or utensils passing through the food, plate or person’s face.
Exaggerated expressions, reactions or odd complexions can also help you determine if a video is AI generated. AI generated videos will show people having unnatural expressions like a very wide smile or their complexion will look weird such as a person’s eyes looking in two different directions.
Photo: Igor Omilaev (Unsplash)
Audio
In some cases, you may be able to spot that an audio is AI generated immediately upon hearing it.
When you hear AI voiceovers, it is somewhat easy to determine if it is a real human or an AI voice. AI voices typically are more monotone, or they have many mispronunciations, especially when it comes to similarly spelt words like ‘read’ or ‘read’ (past tense).
Human voices have emotion and imperfections, such as taking breaths or pauses when speaking, whereas an AI voice never takes a breath or pause and keeps continuing on. You can also easily tell if a voice is AI if you hear the same voice being used across many different videos of varying topics.
There is also now AI generated music, and some songs sound extremely similar to an actual artist if done properly. However, there are some signs that may help you determine if a song was created with AI.
If you hear audio glitches or any oddities and inconsistencies with the voice, that may tell you that the song is AI generated. For example, if you are listening to a Taylor Swift song, but then you hear her voice sounding slightly robotic or fuzzy, you may be listening to an AI created song using her voice.
Things such as sentences that do not make sense or mispronunciations in names or words can also be indications of AI use. If the context changes frequently or the lyrics do not flow from line to line, then it is likely the song was created with AI.
As technology advances, AI will continue to become more difficult to separate from real life, but if you understand what to look for, it will help you determine and avoid AI generated content.