Deepfake Detective: Trusting Your Eyes

You see a photo of the Pope in a puffy white jacket. It looks cool. It looks real. But it’s 100% fake.

We are entering the age of Synthetic Media. AI can generate photorealistic faces, voices, and videos. “Seeing is believing” is no longer true.

In this guide, we will train your eyes to spot the glitches in the matrix using the GLITCH method.

1. Hands and Fingers

AI struggles with anatomy. * The Glitch: Look closely at hands. Are there 6 fingers? Is the thumb merging with a coffee cup? This is the #1 tell of AI art.

2. Text and Backgrounds

AI is getting better at text, but it still often produces gibberish. * The Glitch: Look at street signs, logos on t-shirts, or book titles in the background. Do they say “XJ9#L” or alien symbols?

3. Lighting and Physics

AI understands pixels, not physics. * The Glitch: Look at the shadows. Is the sun behind them, but the shadow falls in front? Are the earrings mismatched? Are the glasses asymmetrical?

4. Visualizing the Artifacts

Look at the Pixel Peeper on the right.

We are zooming in on a “Deepfake.” At first glance, it looks human. But under the microscope, you see the “artifacts”—the blurry hairline, the mismatched eyes, the weird texture on the skin.

Safety Check Complete

You have secured your prompts, your data, and your eyes. Now, let’s have some fun. Explore the creative side of AI in: The Creative Spark.