How To Check If A Photo Is AI Made

There's no single test that proves a photo is AI-made, but three quick checks together usually give a clear answer: what the file says about itself, where the image first appeared, and what it looks like up close.

1. Read the file's metadata

Many AI tools write a note into the image file. Adobe Firefly and OpenAI add Content Credentials, Stable Diffusion apps save the prompt and settings in PNG files, and some tools put their name in the Software field. Real camera photos usually carry camera details instead: make, model, exposure and lens.

AI Image Detector (made by Patrick Bushe, who runs this site) reads this metadata in your browser when you right-click an image and choose "Detect AI Image." It shows a verdict such as "Likely AI Generated" or "Likely Real Photo," and the raw fields behind it.

2. Find where it came from

Run a reverse image search with Google Lens, TinEye or Bing. If the earliest copy is from a photo agency, a news outlet or the photographer's own account, that's strong evidence it's real. If it first appeared on an AI art forum or an account that posts generated images, that's telling too.

3. Look closely

• Text on signs, labels or clothing that turns into gibberish.
• Hands, teeth, ears and jewelry that don't quite match.
• Backgrounds that melt, repeat or bend.
• Lighting and shadows that point in different directions.
• Skin that looks airbrushed everywhere.

Newer models make fewer of these mistakes, so a clean-looking image isn't proof it's real.

Why "no metadata" doesn't mean real

Screenshots, re-saving and most social media uploads strip metadata from every image, real or not. When there's nothing to read, rely on the source and visual checks, and call it unverified if they don't settle it.

See how to tell if an image is AI-generated and checking images before you share them.