AI-Generated 'Fake' Photos Cause a Stir Worldwide And How to Detect

Larry Mimosa January 01, 2024 | 19:59

Furthermore, alongside the fervor for generating content from written material, we are observing the rapid increase of artificial intelligence systems that produce lifelike images based solely on concise descriptions.

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Artificial intelligence (AI) technology offers the best answers to life's issues, but if it is not used responsibly, it can have a lot of negative effects. Artificial intelligence is witnessing startling tales in the field of photography.

Among the most well-known artificial intelligence (AI) imaging systems available today are Dall-E and Stability from OpenAI.The AI's Steady Diffusion and Midjourney. Imagine with Meta AI, created by Meta (formerly known as Facebook), and additional related technologies that will be unveiled in late 2023.

AI Photo Wins Photography Contest

Australian electronics manufacturer DigiDirect held a cash-prize photography competition in February 2023. A picture of two people surfing with the caption "taken by drone" was the winning entry.

Subsequently, author Jane Eykes acknowledged that Absolutely AI was used to build this product. Later on Instagram, Eykes stated, "I wanted to do it to prove we are at a turning point in artificial intelligence."

AI-Generated 'Fake' Photos Cause a Stir Worldwide And How to Detect

AI Photo Wins Photography Contest

When the image The Electrician won the competition's Creativity category at the Sony World Photography Awards in March, the photography community was even more agitated (SWPA 2023). The Guardian was informed by author Boris Eldagsen that he was taken aback by the win as well, given that the image contained all the common AI errors (such as strange fingers).

The Electrician

Later on, The Electrician was taken off of the list of winners. Eldagsen declined to take home the prize, despite the fact that the organizers claimed the image won because the program "welcomes many different approaches and experiments in photography".

Fake Photo of Former President Donald Trump was Arrested

Users of AI painting fever are familiar with AI Midjourney, but it's only recently come to light that it's been contributing to the creation of startling images since March 2023.

Images of former US President Donald Trump in custody or Pope Francis dressed stylishly in a white coat are produced by this AI. Social media users shared the two images extensively, with the majority of users taking them to be authentic.

Although Midjourney was first introduced in 2021, it gained popularity in the middle of the previous year by facilitating the production of realistic images and paintings. In a matter of months, millions of people were using AI to produce images, videos, illustrations, magazine covers, and more. However, when this instrument was employed for political ends after that, controversy surrounding it persisted.

How to detect fake images created by AI

Fake Photo of Former President Donald Trump was Arrested

In March, a number of images on the Internet showed the former US President Donald Trump being taken into custody and placed in jail. According to WSJ, the image went viral on social media quite rapidly, leading many people to assume it was real. Author Elliot Higgins said on X that he created images with Midjourney but was then prohibited from using the program.

AI shocked when it won a major literary award in China

With roughly 200 literary works entered in the 5th Jiangsu Province (China) Science Fiction and Popular Science Contest, the work titled "Land of 'The Land of Machine Memories,' created entirely by artificial intelligence (AI), won 2nd place and sparked a lot of discussion in Chinese media. Read the details here!

Fake Photo of "Pentagon Explosion"

Facebook posted the image of the massive column of smoke rising to the left of the Pentagon on May 22. The caption said, "Large explosion near the Pentagon complex in Washington DC."

Fake photos of the explosion at the Pentagon (created by Ai) spread on the Internet

Following that, the image was retweeted thousands of times and rapidly went viral on other Twitter accounts with millions of followers, including ones with blue verification marks. The details were even featured on a few prominent news websites. CNN and NBC News claim that the US stock market was impacted quickly after the image went viral online. In just four minutes, the Dow Jones index dropped 80 points before rising again. After the image was shown to be phony, the S&P 500 index dropped 0.3% to a session low before rising back to its prior level.

The Real Photo was Mistakenly Thought to be Created by AI

Midway through July 2023, judges at the Charing Cross Photo competition threw out an iPhone picture they thought was artificial intelligence (AI) creation. Suzi Dougherty took the picture while visiting Gucci's fashion show at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum with her son Caspar.

The photo was allegedly created by AI

Caspar is seen in the photo holding a mannequin's hand. The image was first acknowledged by the jury, however the work was later dismissed. This is the first time an AI-generated error has resulted in a shot being eliminated from a photography competition.

How to Detect AI-Generated Photos

Managers are concerned about what will happen if AI cannot be controlled due to its rapid development.

In a time when smartphones are so common, users have unwittingly fallen prey to image manipulation. Their frequent and rapid scrolling through their phones leaves them vulnerable to AI-generated images. AI-generated images are not perfect, though. Experts recommend users to enlarge and closely examine any suspicious images they come across.

Tracing the source of a photo can also reveal whether or not it is a fake. Occasionally, details regarding the source can be found directly in the photo's caption or comments. However, most of the time, users will have to turn to assistance tools like Reverse Image Search.

Moreover, watch out for common AI mistakes. Even with AI-generated images, users can easily spot errors in them if they pay attention.

According to Mr. Martin Boyer, a researcher at the Institute of Interactive Technology in Australia, artificial intelligence-generated facial images will exhibit asymmetry. You can see irregularities in the lines if you examine closely."

Unusual body proportions, like excessively large arms or legs, can also indicate that a photo is fake. The distortion-prone accessories like glasses and earrings are another common source of AI errors.

Additionally, you should wait to believe a stunning photo when you come across one. Experts have identified a common pattern among many AI imagers.

AI specialist Mr. Henry Ajder stated: "AI-generated images have a flaw in that their aesthetics are unrealistically high. For instance, the face is overly gorgeous and the skin is too smooth to be realistic. nature."

Examining the photo's background is another piece of advice. Similar to the actor Will Smith photo, viewers may question the authenticity of the image due to its excessive blurring of the background.

Experts are worried that these mistakes could eventually be corrected given the current rate of AI development. It's possible that the war—both real and fake—will never end.

Conclusion

In addition, due to the controversies sparked by AI, renowned dictionaries have selected "authentic," "hallucinate," and "artificial intelligence" as key terms for 2023, a year marked by significant advancements in artificial intelligence technology across various domains.

The emergence of AI-generated deceptive narratives in the realm of photography is anticipated to persistently astonish and confront conventional human values throughout 2024.

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