In the world today, it can be hard to tell what is real and what is fake.

           According to a survey taken by 219 NS students, 62.1 percent of them have been tricked by artificial intelligence.

Many people get tricked by AI no matter their age. Even so, young people are usually better at telling the difference between real or fake

content. They are exposed to it more, so they have more experience deciphering AI content.

However, there are multiple tips and tricks to look for to help identify if something is AI generated or not

Quality

A good indicator that points to something being generated by AI is when the content does not seem realistic. Look out for misplaced objects or

body parts, especially hands. When AI creates a photo with text in it, the letters can be distorted and hard to read.

The BBC says that one of the most important things to look out for is blurry or pixelated images or videos that seem to have too poor of quality to be filmed on a phone.

“Every single one of these videos [made by AI] looked like it was shot on a potato” (bbc.com).

In videos, pay close attention to the people. Do they walk and move normally? Are they blinking? Do they morph into other things within the

video?

A lot of the time, people in AI videos have a yellowish tint to them, and look plastic.

While quality is a good indicator, AI models are becoming more and more advanced. So other ways may be more helpful.

Length

Another giveaway is the length of the video. Most AI generated videos are shorter because of the cost to make a video. Many TikToks and

Instagram reels are thirty to sixty seconds long, and AI generated videos will be even shorter. The longer the video is, the more likely mess ups can occur.

“You can stitch multiple AI videos together, but you'll notice a cut every eight seconds or so” (bbc.com). 

Writing

Not only can AI videos and photos be hard to tell apart from genuine real life, but so can writing. Students today go by the “work smarter, not

harder” shortcut by using artificial intelligence to do their assignments. Many teachers at NS have to know how to tell AI from their students' writing.

Negotiation Structure

Just like photos, there are multiple ways to tell the difference between authentic and fake writing. One of these ways is the “It’s Not About X, It’s

About Y” formula (medium.com). This website exposes the “negotiation structure” that AI commonly uses in its writing. An example of this structure would be “It’s not about working harder - it’s about working smarter.”

Wikipedia Voice

An additional indicator of AI generated writing is the “Wikipedia voice.” Humans get distracted and go off the subject quite easily. Artificial

intelligence, on the other hand, sticks to the same topic.

Artificial intelligence can create beliefs, but most of the time the writing doesn’t include opinions (getcybersafe.ga). AI lacks emotion, personal

experiences, and beliefs. AI generated writing will often be “dry” and have the absence of emotions.

Personal Touch

Another giveaway is the absence of perspective and personal touch that is found in genuine human artistry.

Within this world, there are many forms of media that have been infested with artificial intelligence. It can be hard to tell the difference between genuine and fake media. However, with the strategies we have to determine the difference, we as people will be able to decipher what is real and what is AI.