Claire FountainWith all of those cool AI image generators available to the masses, it can be hard to tell what’s real and what’s not.
These AI image detection tools can help you know which images may be AI-generated.
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1. Optic AI Or Not
One of the best tools on the market, Optic AI or Not tops our list.
Optic's AI or Not, established in 2022, uses advanced technology to quickly authenticate images, videos, and voice. It provides instant differentiation between real and fake content.
Optic was first created to identify fake NFT images. “Blockchain guarantees uniqueness and immutability of the ledger record, but it has nothing to do with the contents of the document itself. An extra layer of infrastructure is required to determine whether the image or video is real, AI-generated, stolen, or contains copyrighted materials,” Doronichev said.
As of today, Optic’s AI or Not tool has identified over 100 million fake NFT images, but its uses extend to all AI-generated images.
2. Illuminarty
Instead of just telling you whether an image is fake or not, Illuminati takes it one step further.
Their platform provides a whole range of functionalities to assist users in identifying and comprehending the AI-generated nature of images.
Users can verify if an image has been created using AI, determine the specific AI model used for its generation, and even identify the areas within the image that have been AI-generated.
This site can also identify AI-generated text. So, you can check all of your possible AI content in one place.
3. Huggingface
A member of the popular open-source AI community Huggingface has created an AI image detector, and it’s pretty good.
The ease of use and easy accessibility is what makes Huggingface’s AI image detector a winner here. Since it’s open source, it’s completely free to the public. All you need to do is upload the image in question.
You’ll receive a “human” and “artificial” percentage score. When I tried it, it took maybe five seconds.
Accuracy is decent, but not 100%. But, hey, it’s free.
Plus, Huggingface’s written content detector made our list of the best AI content detection tools.
4. V7 Deepfake Detector
Those creepy deep fake photos have been popping up everywhere lately. To combat those, a new Chrome browser extension has been rolled out.
The V7 Deepfake Detector is pretty straightforward in its capabilities; it detects StyleGAN deepfake images that people use to create fake profiles. Note that it cannot detect face swaps or videos, so you’ll have to discern whether that’s actually a photo of Tom Cruise or not.
It currently works only on desktop computers that use Google Chrome and relies on notifications to share AI results, so you’ll have to make sure your Do Not Disturb is off if you use it.
5. Fake Image Detector
They truly could not have come up with a more straightforward name for this one.
The Fake Image Detector detects manipulated/altered/edited images using advanced techniques, including Metadata Analysis and ELA Analysis.
It doesn’t seem to work with many of the file types I wanted to upload but did accept the one JPEG image I had. Unfortunately, it crashed when I tried to upload it. Not sure if that’s an operator error or what.
This one works best at detecting AI-generated images, so it still makes the list.
6. Foto Forensics
Foto Forensics supports a wider range of formats, including the option to feed it an image URL, which is something that sets it apart from others on this list.
By using Error Level Analysis (ELA), Foto Forensics can detect variations in compression levels within an image.
In JPEG images, the entire picture should exhibit a similar error level. If a particular section of the image displays a notably different error level, it is often an indication that the photo has been digitally modified.
FotoForensics also offers a bunch of resources to help you better analyze and identify AI images, including algorithms, self-paced online tutorials, and engaging challenges to assess your understanding, among others.
7. Forensically Beta
Another incredibly useful free AI detection tool is Forensically.
It’s comparable to a magnifying glass and offers users a menu of free tools to help users discern the legitimacy of an image and whether it’s AI-generated or not.
Tools include:
- Error level analysis (ELA)- Compares the image to a recompressed version to check for inconsistencies.
- Clone detection- To see what areas of an image are duplicated.
- Principal component analysis (PCA)- Compresses the data in a way that allows users to summarize the content, making it easier to understand and analyze.
- Noise analysis- Reverses a noise reduction filter and shows only the noise in an image. (More noise= higher chance of it being a real image, not AI-generated)
How Accurate Are AI Image Detectors?
Unfortunately, while they can often produce accurate results, AI image detectors just can’t keep up with how advanced AI image generators have gotten.
Since many AI image detectors rely on identifying inconsistencies and “textures” in images, they can often be tricked by simply adding texture to the AI-generated images.
In our opinion, they are still worth a try, for now.
Worried about AI in class? Read more about AI content detection for teachers.
How Reliable Are AI Image Detectors?
AI image detectors are not very reliable due to the way they assess AI-image generation. Overall, they do not provide the most accurate results.
How Do AI Image Detection Tools Work?
AI image detection tools work in a few different ways.
First, they identify errors and inconsistencies in different qualities in the picture.
They may also look for “noise” in the photo, which signals that it was taken or created by a real human.
Another way they identify AI-generated images is clone detection, where they identify aspects within the image that have been duplicated from elsewhere on the internet.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free AI image detection tool?
Optic AI or Not is the best free AI image detection tool.
Should I use an AI image detection tool?
Yes, you should use an AI image detection tool. Though they may not be the most accurate, they are easy and often free.
Can AI images be detected?
AI images can occasionally be detected depending on the quality of the image and the AI detector used.
Will I get penalized on Google for AI-generated images?
Yes, you will get penalized on Google for AI-generated images.
What is an AI image detector?
An AI image detector is a tool that uses a variety of algorithms to discern whether an image is organic or generated by AI.
Ashlea Hernandez
