How to Detect AI Images: 9 Practical Checks

Have you ever scrolled through social media and wondered whether an image was photographed or generated with AI?

Here is the answer.

You cannot decide that from one finger, a filename, or a detector score. Current AI image generators can create convincing images. Real photographs can also look strange after compression, retouching, or difficult shooting conditions.

You need a verification chain rather than one supposed giveaway. I show you nine checks, each answering a different question.

How much weight to give each image signal

1

Strong provenance and context

Check first

Original source

Reverse search

Provider signal

Valid C2PA data

2

Supporting technical signals

Interpret together

EXIF data

File history

Watermark

Editing traces

3

Weak signals on their own

Never decide from these alone

Hands and text

Light and shadows

General AI detector

Source: Gradually AI review method based on the linked provider documentation

PNG|SVG

CC BY 4.0

gradually.ai

1. Check the source and context

Look for the original post first. Is there a named photographer, agency, venue, or another independent image of the same event? Do the date, weather, clothing, and surroundings match the claim?

A screenshot without a link, a newly created account, or a sensational caption does not prove AI use. Each is a reason to investigate further.

2. Run a reverse image search

Use Google Images to look for similar files, older publications, and possible originals. If necessary, crop a distinctive part of the image and search again. That often works better than uploading a screenshot full of text and interface elements.

Reverse search will not find every original. It is particularly useful when someone attaches a new story to an old photograph or manipulates a genuine image.

3. Verify OpenAI provenance signals

OpenAI says images from ChatGPT, Codex, and its image API contain both C2PA Content Credentials and SynthID. OpenAI offers its free verifier as a research preview. The verifier for OpenAI-generated images accepts PNG, JPG, and WebP files. It looks for OpenAI's SynthID signal and trusted OpenAI C2PA data.

A match indicates generation with OpenAI tools. No match does not exclude OpenAI or another generator. Editing, compression, or screenshots can impair the signals. The verifier also says nothing about truth, copyright, ownership, or context.

4. Check Google SynthID

Google adds SynthID to media generated with Gemini and other supported Google AI tools. According to the official instructions, you can upload one image to the Gemini app and ask whether it contains a SynthID watermark. For screenshots, Google recommends cropping closely to the image itself and avoiding collages.

A detected SynthID signal connects the content to a supported Google AI system. If Gemini finds no signal, the image may come from another system or may have been altered enough to affect detection.

5. Inspect Content Credentials

C2PA Content Credentials are cryptographically signed provenance records. The Content Credentials verifier shows whether it found a validly bound manifest, who signed it, and which edits were recorded.

Missing credentials are not evidence of deception. Not every camera or AI tool supports C2PA, and platforms or export tools can remove metadata. My technical guide to C2PA explains those limits in detail.

6. Put metadata and filenames in context

An original camera file may include EXIF details about the camera, lens, exposure, and focal length. A genuine photo downloaded from social media often no longer has them. EXIF fields can also be copied or changed.

Filenames are only a historical clue. Older Midjourney or DALL·E files sometimes include a tool name, prompt, or job ID. Renaming or downloading the file again destroys that clue.

7. Inspect anatomy, text, and geometry

Trace fingers, glasses, jewelry, railings, windows, and repeated patterns across the image. Look for substituted characters in text and stairs or edges that end without a logical connection.

These artifacts are common in older or weaker models. Current models such as GPT Image 2 and Midjourney V8.1 avoid many of them. Correct hands and readable text therefore do not prove that an image is a photograph.

8. Compare light, shadows, and reflections

Find the strongest light source and compare the direction and hardness of every shadow. Check mirrors, windows, water, and glossy surfaces. A person may cast a shadow to the left while a nearby object produces an implausible angle.

Multiple light sources, flash, HDR, and editing can also make genuine photographs look unusual. Treat lighting errors as a clue, not a verdict.

9. Use general detectors only as supporting evidence

A general AI detector estimates whether an image resembles patterns in its training data. New generators, compression, cropping, and post-processing can change the result. A percentage looks precise but is not meaningful without a suitable, independent test dataset.

For a serious case, I use this order:

1. Preserve the original source and the claim being made.
2. Check reverse search results and independent reporting.
3. Test provider-specific provenance signals.
4. Inspect C2PA, EXIF, and file history.
5. Review visual details and, at most, add a general detector result.

If the conclusion affects a person, publication, or business decision, document each step. When the result remains uncertain, do not state that the image is AI-generated. Explain which signals you found and which questions remain open.