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How to tell if a photo is AI-made
AI can now make pictures and videos that look real. You often cannot tell just by looking. The good news: you do not have to be an expert. You just need to check where it came from before you believe it or share it.
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Key idea: Looks alone cannot prove a picture is real or fake. Odd hands, blurry text, or too-perfect skin can be clues, but newer AI pictures often have none of these. Checking the source is more reliable.
Step by step
- Pause. If the picture makes you angry, scared, or excited, that is a reason to slow down, not to share.
- Ask who posted it first. Is it from a news organization, a government office, or a person you know? Or from an account you have never heard of?
- Look for a label. Some sites mark pictures as “AI-generated” or “Made with AI”. A label is helpful, but no label does not prove a picture is real.
- Do a reverse image search. On a computer, go to images.google.com (opens in a new tab) and click the camera icon, or use tineye.com (opens in a new tab). On a phone, the Google app has a Lens button (a small camera). This shows where else the picture appears online.
- Check the story elsewhere. If something big really happened, more than one trusted news source will report it.
- If it asks for money, stop. A photo or video of a celebrity, a charity, or a family member asking for money is a common scam. Contact the person or group using a phone number or website you already trust.
Common AI picture scams
- A famous person seeming to promote an investment, a giveaway, or a health product.
- A fake disaster or rescue photo asking for donations.
- A dating profile photo that is too perfect, from someone who never wants to video chat.
Our Scam of the Week covers the fake-voice version of this trick.
Read more ways to protect yourself on Stay Safe.
From AI Made Simple (ai-made-simple-rust.vercel.app). General information only. Last checked October 21, 2026.