How to Tell If a Photo or Video Is AI-Made

What this helps with: Simple checks to tell if a image or video might be made or changed by AI, before you believe it or share it.

AI can now make images and videos that look real. No single trick catches every fake. But a few quick checks catch many of them. And when you’re not sure, it’s fine not to share.

Look closely at the image

The FBI lists these common clues:

• Hands and feet with the wrong number of fingers or odd shapes.
• Teeth, eyes, or ears that look strange or don’t match.
• Faces that look blurry, too smooth, or “waxy.”
• Glasses and jewelry that melt into the skin or don’t match on each side.
• Shadows and light that point the wrong way.
• Text on signs or shirts that’s blurry or makes no sense.

Watch and listen to videos

• Lips that don’t match the words.
• Odd blinking, or a face that seems to slide over the head.
• A flat or robotic voice, or strange pauses.
• Jerky movements, or a body that doesn’t move naturally.

Check for labels

• Some apps add labels like AI info, Made with AI, or AI-generated.
• Some photos carry Content Credentials, a small “cr” icon or info panel that shows how the image was made.
• A label helps, but no label doesn’t mean it’s real. Many fakes have none.

Search with the image

You can look up where else a photo appears online.

1. Open the Google app, or go to images.google.com on a computer.
2. Tap the camera icon (Google Lens).
3. Pick the photo, or take a image of the screen.
4. Look at the results. If the same photo appears years earlier, or on a fact-checking site, it may not be what the post says.

On some Google results you can also tap the three dots next to an image and choose About this image to see when it first showed up.

Ask four questions

1. Who shared it? Someone you know, or a page you’ve never heard of?
2. Is it showing up anywhere else? Search for the event on a few well-known news sites.
3. Does it make you feel very angry, scared, or amazed? Fakes are often made to stir up strong feelings.
4. Is it trying to sell you something or get money? That’s a big warning sign.

A neutral example: a photo of a “shark swimming down a flooded highway” goes around after every big storm. A photo search shows it’s an old, edited image. That’s true no matter who shares it.

When in doubt

• Don’t share it until you know it’s real.
• Don’t send money because of a video or image.
• Ask someone you trust to take a look with you.

For scams that use fake videos, see AI Scams: Voice Clones and Fake Videos. New to AI? Start with What Is AI? A Plain-Words Guide.

Official sources

• FBI: Criminals use generative AI to facilitate financial fraud
• Google: Search with an image
• Content Credentials: contentcredentials.org

Last checked: Oct 21, 2026

AI changes fast. We review our AI guides every month. This is general help. We don’t take sides on any news or political topic.