Is it real or made by AI?
AI can now make pictures and videos that look real. Learn the clues, and the one habit that works even when the clues disappear.
In 60 seconds
Is it real or made by AI?
AI can now make pictures and videos that look real. Learn the clues, and the one habit that works even when the clues disappear.
Detective clues
| Look at… | What can give it away |
|---|---|
| Hands and fingers | Too many or too few fingers, fingers that melt together |
| Writing and signs | Letters that look like words but make no sense |
| Light and shadows | Shadows going the wrong way, or no shadow at all |
| Faces and skin | Skin that looks too smooth, like plastic; eyes or ears that don't match |
| The background | Blurry people with strange shapes, bent buildings, objects that fade into each other |
| The whole picture | Everything looks "too perfect", like a poster |
The clue that always matters: the source
- 1
Pause
Wow, amazing, shocking? That is exactly when to slow down. - 2
Look
Check hands, writing, shadows, background. - 3
Ask
Who posted it first? Is that source trusted? - 4
Search
Try a reverse image search, with a parent or teacher if you like. - 5
Decide
Real, AI, or "I don't know yet". "I don't know yet" is a smart answer!
- "It looks real, so it is real"
- "I found no clue, so it's real"
- Shares it first, checks later
- "Looks can fool me. Let me check the source"
- "No clue found. I still need a source"
- Checks first, shares only if sure
Watch and read more
Lab
A "Real or AI?" game card with your own list of clues.
The problem
Do this with a parent, older sibling or teacher.
- Together, find 4 pictures: 2 real photos from a trusted news website and 2 pictures clearly labelled as AI-made.
- Mix them up. The other person guesses "Real or AI?" for each one.
- For each guess, write the clue they used (hands, writing, shadows, background, too perfect, source).
- Write one sentence: which picture was hardest, and why?
You are done when
Hard questions
Try to answer before you reveal. If you can answer these, you understood the lesson.
Q1Why is "Who posted it first?" a better question than "Does it look real?"Reveal
Because AI keeps getting better at making things look real, so looks can fool anyone. But a picture's source doesn't change with better AI. A trusted news site checks before posting. A random account may not. The source tells you how much to trust it.
Q2A real photo is shared with a false caption, like an old flood photo called "today's flood". Is that also fake?Reveal
Yes, the message is fake even though the photo is real. That is why reverse image search helps: it may show the photo is old or from another place. Always check both the picture and the words with it.
Questions people ask
Is it bad to make AI pictures?
No. Making a funny AI picture of a dragon eating samosas is fine. Problems start when someone pretends an AI picture is real, or makes fake pictures of real people to hurt or fool others.
Can an app tell me for sure if a picture is AI?
Some tools try, but none are always right. They can call a real photo fake, or miss an AI picture. Use them as one clue, not the final answer.
What if even grown-ups can't tell?
That's normal. Many AI pictures fool adults too. That is why checking the source matters more than having sharp eyes.
Lesson test
5 questions. Get 3 right (60%) to pass and complete this lesson.