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    Beginner
    3 min read 4 stepsApril 19, 2026Verified April 2026

    How to Tell If a Photo Was Made by AI

    AI-generated images are becoming harder to spot. But there are specific signs to look for — and free tools that can help detect them automatically.

    At a Glance

    Category
    Safety & Privacy
    Difficulty
    Beginner
    Read Time
    3 min read
    Steps
    4
    Topics covered
    AI images
    deepfake
    media literacy
    fake photos
    disinformation
    scam awareness

    In this guide (4 steps):

    1. 1.Look at the hands and fingers first
    2. 2.Check the background and edges
    3. 3.Do a reverse image search
    4. 4.Use AI detection tools
    1

    Look at the hands and fingers first

    ~31s
    AI image generators historically struggle with hands and fingers. Look for extra fingers, like six fingers on a hand, or missing fingers. Also look for fingers that bend the wrong way, fingers that merge together or fade at the tips, or hands that look waxy or rubbery. While AI tools have improved a lot, close inspection of hands still reveals flaws in many AI images. Zoom in on any person's hands in a suspicious photo.

    Quick Tip

    Also look at teeth — AI often produces too many, oddly shaped, or glowing white teeth in portrait images.

    2

    Check the background and edges

    ~28s
    AI images often have inconsistencies at the edges of objects or where two surfaces meet. Look for: hair that looks painted on or has no individual strands, glasses that do not match the shape of the face, backgrounds that are blurry in an unnaturally uniform way (like all the background is equally blurred at the same depth), text in the background that is garbled or nonsensical (AI cannot generate coherent readable text in images), and objects that seem to merge into each other or into the background.
    3

    Do a reverse image search

    ~27s
    Google can search by image rather than words. On your phone: go to images.google.com, tap the camera icon, and upload the image or paste its URL. Google will show you where else the image appears online. If the photo claims to be a real person or recent event but appears on an AI image generator's website or in unrelated contexts, it is likely fake. On iPhone and Android, you can also press and hold an image in Chrome to "Search image with Google."
    4

    Use AI detection tools

    ~36s
    Several free websites analyze whether an image was likely AI-generated: Hive Moderation (free.hivemoderation.com) — paste an image URL or upload a file for an AI-generated probability score. AI or Not (aiornot.com) — upload an image to get a verdict. These tools are not 100% accurate, but a high probability score is a strong signal to investigate further before sharing. News organizations and fact-checkers use these tools to verify images before publishing.

    Warning

    Even experienced researchers sometimes cannot tell AI from real with certainty. When in doubt, do not share an image that might be fake — especially around news events or political topics. One shared fake image can spread misinformation to hundreds of people quickly.

    You Did It!

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    AI image generators like Midjourney, DALL-E, and Stable Diffusion can create realistic images of people, places, and events that never happened. Scammers use these images for fake dating and social media profiles. Others use them to spread false political claims or clickbait news. Knowing the signs of an AI-generated image — and which tools can help spot one — is a useful skill in 2026.

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    AI images
    deepfake
    media literacy
    fake photos
    disinformation
    scam awareness

    Official Resources

    FTC Consumer ProtectionCISA — Cybersecurity TipsAARP Fraud Watch Network

    Sources used to create and verify this guide. View all sources →

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