Step 1: the zoom test
Open the image at full size and zoom in. Look at the places where AI usually fails: hands and fingers, teeth, eyes and their reflections, ears and earrings, hair edges, text in the background, and straight lines such as doors or tiles. Our guide to AI images explains each clue.
Step 2: reverse image search
Upload the image to Google Lens, Bing Visual Search or TinEye. You are looking for the original source: who published it first, when, and in what context.
- Many older copies from news sites or photographers: probably a real photo.
- Only copies from the last few days, all from social media: be careful.
- No results at all for a portrait: common for AI faces, but also for private photos.
Step 3: metadata and Content Credentials
Some files still carry information about how they were made.
- Content Credentials (C2PA): upload the file to contentcredentials.org/verify. Some cameras, editing apps and AI tools add a signed history that says if AI was used.
- EXIF metadata: a real camera photo often contains the camera model, lens and settings. Missing data proves nothing (social networks remove it), but an AI tool name in the metadata is a strong sign.
- Visible watermarks in a corner, such as the logo of an AI app.
Step 4: an AI detector, as a second opinion
Free online detectors such as Hive Moderation, Illuminarty or AI or Not return a probability. Use the original file if you can: compression, cropping and screenshots make detectors less reliable. Never treat a single score as proof, in either direction.
Step 5: check the context
Ask simple questions. Who posted it, and do they have a reason to deceive? Do other photos of the same scene or person exist from other angles? Does the story make sense, or is it designed to make you angry, scared or generous right now? Fake images are usually shared to trigger a quick reaction.
Train your eye
The more real and AI images you compare, the faster you notice the small details. That is the idea behind the Real or AI game: one photo at a time, with the answer shown right after you choose.