#recognizing AI

[creature-wizard]

Some ways to recognize AI generated images (other than counting the fingers!)

Hey folks! Since a lot of people out there are still getting taken in by AI images, I thought I'd do a post to help you spot some common tells in AI generated imagery. (All of these images come from Pixabay.) Since this turned out to be a really long post, I've put the rest of it under the cut.

Unnatural shininess and smoothness

AI generated images frequently have an unnatural smoothness to them. Here's a really obvious example:

These are supposed to be blueberries, but they're way too shiny. They look more like glass than actual fruit!

Here's an example that's a little less obvious:

At first glance, it's easy to miss that this is a procedurally generated image. But if you take a moment and look close, you can see an unnatural smoothness to this image. Compare with this real photograph below:

The real photo has a slight graininess to it, plus the berries themselves display more texture.

Here are more images displaying unnatural smoothness:

Exaggerated facial and body proportions

If a person or animal in an image that appears to be a photograph has cartoonish or caricaturish proportions, that's a sign the image is AI generated.

First, we'll start with a really obvious example. While I don't think the person who had this generated meant for it to be taken as photorealistic, it's still a good example of exaggerated proportions.

Now here's the less obvious example:

If you just glanced at this image, you might think this was a real child. But if you look for a moment longer, you'll notice that her head is slightly too big for her body proportions, and her eyes are slightly too big and round. (And of course, her toes are messed up.)

For comparison, here's a real child:

The real child's head is smaller, and the eyes don't have that cartoony look.

Here's an image of a baby that could pass as real at first glance... until you realize the eyes are too big and round, and it's making Dreamworks face! (Also, the brows and lashes are unnaturally smooth and the skin looks plasticky!)

For comparison, here's a real baby:

Melty-looking detailwork

AI images that are supposed to depict fantasy, divine, and historical figures often feature an extreme level of detailing. But if you look close, you'll see that this detailwork is usually a mess.

Here's a very obvious example:

If you look at her tiara, you can see that the center gem is actually floating above the rest, which is a dead giveaway that this is procedurally generated. Also, her tiara lacks symmetry and evenness where it should have it.

Here's another example:

Again, this is clearly a piece that should have symmetry in the metalwork, but has that uneven melty look so common in AI imagery.

And a less obvious example:

This one isn't as extreme as the others, but if you're familiar with the way AI "melts" details, you can recognize its work. (Also, her right earring is lower than it should be, and where her face is clearly meant to imitate an oil painting, her dress looks like a watercolor painting!)

Meanwhile, here's a real photograph of a tiara:

I'd also like to emphasize here that asymmetry on its own doesn't indicate AI! Many people create asymmetrical designs on purpose. The thing to really watch out for is melty-looking shapes and unevenness in things that shouldn't look melty or uneven.

Unnatural crispness and detail

AI image generators often lean toward high-contrast tones, which frequently makes images look unnaturally crisp. Here's a really obvious example:

Let's compare with a real photo of the Sphinx!

Quite a bit of difference, huh?

This faux Greek statue might be a bit harder:

This appears to depict a Greek-styled statue, but - look at the face! The crispness in the light and shadows gives this away as AI generated. (There's also no staining on the face, even though we see it on the next.)

For comparison, a real statue:

This has turned into a huge post, so I'm gonna call this good for now. Not each and every AI generated image will have these tells, but you'll be able to recognize a lot more AI generated images if you keep them in mind. If you'd like to get even better at recognizing AI generated images, you might go to the website I got them from - Pixabay - and search for "AI generated." Load the pictures at higher resolutions, pay attention to the details, and compare them with human-mage images. While you'll find that many AI generated images are very hard to distinguish from human-made ones, you'll start picking up on more of AI's idiosyncracies.

[creations-by-chaosfay]

Have you heard of the term "patterns mills"? These are shopfronts that quickly produce a pattern without any sort of testing or vetting, and then put it on the market with an AI-generated or stolen image for a very tempting price. Patterns produced this way are rampant in the cross-stitching world. However, I've recently noticed an uptick in these types of storefronts in the quilting and foundation paper piecing world. Since I'm well versed in FPP patterns, I would like to describe what an AI-generated quilt pattern looks like as well as provide other suspicious giveaways. AI will only get better, so while these mistakes are dead giveaways now, they might be fixed in the future. FPP patterns seem to be easier to replicate in AI than traditionally pieced patterns, which is why I will focus on FPP in this blogpost. However, you can apply the same clues to any sort of craft pattern (or really anything) you can buy online. Important: AI-generated images are not prohibited on Etsy. However, within their policies they state that you must disclose if you used AI within your listing, and these shops do not have that disclosure.

Below is a listing for a wolf face FPP pattern. When you first look at it, does anything seem suspicious?

First, I would like to draw your attention to the scissors in the bottom left of the photo. These scissors are physically impossible to use and are literally melting into the yellow cutting mat. The lines of this cutting mat are unresolved, as are the lines on the green cutting mat in the bottom right corner. These are your first giveaways. However, not all images have background sewing items that look a little funny. Let's take a look at the actual "completed quilt."

The first thing I notice is that the only background seam line (from this apparently foundation paper pieced quilt) is the one in the top left corner. The seam is merely hinted at and does not go all the way to the edge. Additionally, I notice that the eye is too round. One could argue that the cover photo is merely an enhanced version of the completed quilt, but there are no completed quilt photos in the listing. Another clue for identifying AI generated quilt images is that there are a ton of colors/prints used. The prints in this image seem nebulous and the prints around the eye whiskers (?) lose a lot of fidelity. The individual fabrics themselves do not have consistency.

In the image above, the things I notice are that there are curved seams within the gray and white colors. A typical FPP pattern would not have curved piecing interspersed between regular straight seam piecing. Also, piecing lines that are useless, especially visible in the bluish-gray piece on the left. The amount of piecing within that patch does not make sense. Below you will see another listing from a different Etsy seller.

From afar, it looks really good. Plus, the seller has great reviews! And it's a Bestseller! But let us take a closer look…

The first thing that sticks out to me is how the whiskers of the lion are resolved. You can see where they fade into the muzzle of the lion without a realistic piecing line. Some of the patches are straight up "smeary" and wrinkly, a telltale sign of AI. The program does not know how to accurately render the design so it creates an approximation. These are things that are hard to see unless you zoom in. Below is a listing for a legitimate lion FPP pattern from designer Pride and Joy Quilting so you can see the difference. It is clear that the first image is an actual completed quilt top.

Beyond the AI-generated cover quilts, I'd also like to cover other signs of a pattern generated from a pattern mill.

For the lion pattern, the cost is only $8.63. This is very cheap for what is supposed to be a full sized quilt pattern with a multitude of templates.

Both of these sellers have very generic names. While not an immediate cause for concern, I recommend being skeptical.

There are no actual completed quilt images within the listing.

Both of them are considered "Bestsellers" on Etsy, but the shop with the wolf pattern only has 10 reviews. It makes me wonder about the disparity between "buyers" and reviewers.

The 5 star reviews for the lion pattern are extremely generic and talk only about "how much their friend Lisa will enjoy the pattern" or "how easy it was to download." These are not helpful for understanding the quality of the actual product. The 1 star reviews are way more descriptive about the issues the pattern has. This makes me wonder about fake reviews.

Both of these patterns include a full layout of the FPP diagram within the listing. I personally would never do this and I don't know many designers who would.

The lion pattern says this within its description: "Before making a purchase, we'd like to inform you about some important aspects. The product stands out for its template, design, and print quality, serving as a valuable tool for sewing projects. The instructions include two techniques: direct fabric marking (with visible stitches) and invisible stitches. Both are general guidelines and not step-by-step instructions. You can choose these techniques or any other that you consider suitable based on your experience and preference. There are no refunds for the digital file. We appreciate your understanding and are available for any questions." This demonstrates to me that the pictures are not accurate because they are clearly attempting to depict FPP and are hoping that you won't read the description until it is too late.

Why is every lowercase i in the wolf pattern missing its dot? Like, why? I find that strange and off putting.

So, how do you avoid accidentally purchasing a pattern like this?

The first step is gaining experience in recognizing listings that seem a bit fishy. Use the bullet points listed above to see what kind of feeling you get when looking over a listing. I also recommend finding out more about the designer from their website or from their social media. Not all legitimate designers have these necessarily, but it's a great place to start. Try messaging the shop owner on Etsy. Does it sound like they know what they are even talking about? You'll then build a good list of designers and shops you trust. A big and worrisome thing to remember is that AI will only get better and produce better looking images. This will make it harder to identify pattern mills by the image alone. However, the clues that I've listed will help if you put them all together and come to a conclusion. I suggest using them for all your online shopping. I hope this helps!

[inkzectz]

Never thought I’d get a girl, literally out of this world!

[futuristichedge]

If you are a fan of anybody's work, whether it be art, writing, music, translating, editing, videos, etc- it is incredibly important that you share that you enjoy their work.

It could be a comment, a tag, an anonymous ask saying thank you or something about their most recent piece you enjoy, anything. Creation is more often than not a social thing, and a little note or comment really goes a long way. People are sharing a little piece of themself every day, here on the internet!

So if you don't mind a little challenge, on the next piece of art* you see that you find personally impactful, leave a little tag or comment saying something about how much it means to you.

*this includes writing, music, edits, jokes, anything that has undergone the act of being created by a person

[bmpmp3]

[melonsharks]

tonight! at 12am AST! the cd charms finally return!!! is this good marketing? I DONT KNOW!!!

[b-free]

On Yttrium-2, 2 pods landed close to the house of a particular Solver Drone. They opened up, and out stepped a small drone with orange hair and light green eyelights. She had a cropped hoodie over a black shirt and matching green shorts. Her boots resembled the patterns seen on female DD legs, and a light grey pouch sat around her waist, which a mechanical tail came out the back of.

Stepping out of the second pod was what looked to be a human girl, but made of shadows, save for her white eyes and eyelashes. She had a red overcoat and light blue scarf, along with matching light blue nails.

Ai ran up to the front door and knocked, as Spectre followed her.

"You're too used to surprise visits. I hope Papa will be okay."

At first there's not much of a response, though that might have to do with the fact there's sound coming from above. It's a bit later in the day, though still near enough to noon that there's activity around.

The pods landing have certainly earned the attention of the few that are around, some looking a bit startled and others just the usual amount of 'that nosey neighbor'.

As the door opens, a squeal followed by a little giggle is caught. "Sorry, who-" Hafiz pauses, slowly placing his helmet on his head over his slightly messy hair. There's a few smudges of oil on the hand placing his helmet on, and though his outfit is all black, it's got a small shiny spot on it. "Is...it...?"

He wasn't expecting this. Two very unknown and...strange visitors. His head slowly turned, noticing the pods nearby. "Uh..." There was a little bit of stress on his visor, but he was processing... though a bit slowly.

[haylessa]

cheers to the total of *checks notes* two times shiho miyano appeared in flesh

[adhdandcomics]

do you even KNOW how hard it is to find cool wizards on google that aren’t ai these days. we are so fucked

[barblaz-arts]

We saw Charlie lose her temper with others during her fallout with Vaggie, but what do you think would happen if someone succeeded in seriously harming Vaggie and Charlie was unable to prevent it? Imagine the hell Charlie would raise. But, I love angst and love your last analysis and would like your thoughts.

What I want to happen is for Charlie to go batshit over it, even more than she did when Pentious died. She would be so mad that she almost kills the perpetrator, only for Vaggie to stop her not because she thinks the person doesn't deserve it, but because Vaggie knows Charlie would hate herself for killing anyone. To show that Charlie's love would go as deep as being willing to taint her soul for Vaggie, and that Vaggie loves Charlie too much to let that happen.

Like that trope where one character goes berserk and the other character desperately tries to calm them down so they don't kill anyone?

I want a scene like these for them so bad

[creature-wizard]

What an AI generated website can look like

Hey folks! I just encountered a website that's obviously AI generated, so I figured I'd use it as an example to help you spot websites that might be AI generated content farms!

First, the website is called faunafacts.com. And one of the first things that sticks out to me is how low-effort the logo is:

Regardless of whether a website is AI generated or not, a lazy and low-quality logo is a big clue that the website's content will also be lazy and low-quality.

If we click on Browse Animals, we see four options: Cows, Wolves, Bears, and Snakes.

Let's click Wolves.

The first thing I want you to notice is the lack of topical focus. Sure, it's all about wolves, but the content on them is all over the place. We have content on wolf hunting, a page on animals that resemble wolves, pages that explain the alleged social structure of wolves, and pages on wolf symbolism.

A website with content created by real people isn't going to be all over the place like this. It would be created with more of a focus in mind, like animal biology and behavior. The whole spiritual symbol thing here mixed with supposed biological and behavioral information is weird.

The next thing I want you to notice are the links to pages on topics that are quite frankly bizarre: "Wolf vs Mastiff: Things You Need To Know" and "Can You Ride A Wolf? (No, Because...)" Who is even looking for this kind of information in large enough numbers that it needs a dedicated page?

Then of course, there's the fact that they're repeating the debunked wolf hierarchy stuff, which anyone who actually knew anything about wolves at this point wouldn't post.

Now let's look at what's on one of the actual pages. We'll check out the wolves vs. mastiff page, and we can soon find a telltale sign of AI: rambling off topic to talk about something completely unrelated.

Both animals are carnivores. In the wild, wolves hunt large animals like bison, deer, and even elk. Sometimes, they may also hunt small mammals like the beaver.

Mastiffs, on the other hand, are mainly fed with dog food. As a dog, a mastiff left in the wild will eat anything. However, it will have difficulties hunting, as this instinct may have already departed the dogs of today.

A mastiff is not an obligate carnivore. Dogs can eat plant matter. Some say that dogs can survive on a vegetable diet.

Dogs being made vegetarians is a contentious issue. Scientifically, dogs belong to the order Carnivora. There is a movement today to convert dogs to a vegan diet. While science has nothing against it, the fear of many is that when dog owners do this, a vegan diet will certainly have an impact on the species.

This page is supposed to be comparing mastiffs with wolves, but then it starts talking about the vegan pet food movement. This happened because large language models generate text based on on what's statistically likely to follow the last text it just generated.

Finally, the website's images are AI generated:

If you know what to look for, this is a very obviously AI generated image. There's no graininess to the image, and the details are both unnaturally smooth and unnaturally crisp. It also has that high color saturation that many AI generated images have.

So there you go, this is one example of what an AI generated website can look like! Be careful out there!

[stranded-ziggy]

Tumblr can still be scraped even if you opt out of this particular scraping, your stuff's not safe.

Glaze and nightshade are the best way to go, even for memes.

Don't let these dickwads use our creativity for their benefit.

And yeah, if you support AI you're a dickwad, fuck you, unfollow me.

[yuseirra]

Alien Stage Character Analysis- MIZI (after having read the new comic)

A Very Subjective Interpretation / Impression

I came across a new comic related to this series, and it seems like people are interpreting it in all kinds of ways. As a psych major and enthusiast, I found it really interesting!

I actually had to read it twice to start comprehending exactly what feelings this particular character may convey: here's my personal thoughts and interpretations on Mizi after having read this piece.

In short, what we thought of this character is not something that should be interpreted as a mere "facade" or "a lie" (it's simple enough to see, but I still think that should be brought up as starters.)

Rather, this is actually stemming from Mizi's self-depreciation that she couldn't be as sincere and helpful as she ever wanted to be. It's her desire for sincerity that's causing her these inner struggles and self-mockery.

(oh gosh though.. she reminds me so much of Ai from onk in such a sad way though, what is this trend of bright, cheery looking girls constantly doubting themselves or believing that what they shared with others were lies?? If you like that girl, you see so many things in common regarding what's happening in this particular comic)

Mizi seems to have had the feeling of: “I’m struggling too.”

she tried really, really hard to be that girl who everyone could love. and I think she wanted to be that way not just because she wanted to use others, she thought that was what she could give.

This doesn’t mean Mizi wasn’t pure—it’s actually the opposite. That kind of emotion does genuinely exist in her.

She can truly think things like “That kid who slapped me isn’t actually a bad person,” or “Being with Sua makes me so, so happy.” She really means those things. But there are multiple layers about her. It’s not that she’s being fake—many of her emotions are genuinely felt.

But they’re not coming from a place of being “simply” or “naively” pure.

Let me explain it like this:

Outer Layer (Expression / Facial Features / Outward Behavior): Appears bright, pure, openly expressive, and acts as if she doesn’t understand the full context.

First Inner Layer (Surface-Level Instinctive Psychology): Actually struggling. Stressed. Feels pressured to maintain that outer appearance. That’s why when Sua says, “You have it easy, huh?”(The original KR text for this is "편하지?" which means "you're in a comfortable situation, right." The English version translates this as "It must be nice."), Mizi instinctively slaps her in response. Because it isn't that way.

It was an immediate reflex, stemming from deep emotional pain—like “Sua, even you don’t understand me at all. I thought you would, if nobody else would.” That’s why right after hitting Sua, she’s shocked and cries while apologizing.

and then she begins to think she's "cunning"-

Because, underneath that is the second, deeper emotional layer: self-hate and guilt.

Thoughts like: “I’m not actually as innocent, pure, and all-loving as people think I am.” + “Did I just survive all this time by manipulating others?” These thoughts are intruding in her and getting reinforced the more people die, and she keeps surviving in the rounds.

She’s becoming harsher in her judgment of herself. The guilt and self-loathing are growing intense—especially because she couldn’t save Till.

In the comic, when she says to Till: “I love Sua the most. Is it that hard for you to stop liking me?”, that’s because Mizi truly cares for Till.

She’s saying: “I can’t love you back the way you want. I can’t give you what you hope for. So why do you still like me? Wouldn’t it be better if you didn’t?” This is her opening up. It means she trusts Till enough to show that side of herself and be more truthful about what she can or cannot do.

It’s like saying: “I’m not who you think I am. If you keep liking me, you’ll only be disappointed. Are you really okay with that?”

By choosing to have that honest conversation instead of pretending, she didn’t want to hurt Till. What shows here is that she really does consider Till a friend. Even if her feelings toward Sua and Till differ, Till is still precious to her. She’s saying this because she knows she can’t give Till what he wants.

But when Till responds with something like, “I just think you’re pretty. That’s why I like you…” —he probably meant it in a broader sense: not just her physical appearance, but the beauty he sees in her kindness, her heart.

A dissonance/disconnection between the two happens. Mizi, who was earlier slapped by a boy who liked her for being “pretty,” but got offended by her "pretending to be oblivious and clueless," hears this and interprets it the wrong way:

She thinks: “So even Till likes me because I’m ‘pretty’… That’s the only reason.” She can’t believe that she’s lovable for who she is, so the thought that probably hits her here is:

“Ah… I really am someone who can only survive this way.”

Because everyone expects that from her, and because she’s already become that person in their eyes.

If she were to suddenly show her honest self, it would break all of that. She’d lose her connection to the world.

What’s happening with Mizi is that she doesn’t believe that the genuinely pure and beautiful side of her (the one that shows up in her usual expressions and actions) actually exists within her. Because she feels so much guilt and self-hate.

And that is what she believes is her true self, “ THE TRUE FACE” as portrayed in the title of this comic.

That’s why Mizi now sees all her past actions as:

“I was pretending to be pure to survive. I used that fake purity to manipulate everyone.”

But the truth is—it’s not the whole picture.

At the deepest level (3rd internal layer, her core), Mizi really does want to love others, be bright, be honest.

Other people saw that in her—even more than she did herself and appreciated it, and that’s why they loved her.

The way she acted toward Sua, Ivan, Till, Hyuna—those were all genuine. She always wanted to help them. She earnestly hoped they’d all survive and live happily together with her.

But when things didn’t go that way, the guilt overwhelmed her. And now she believes everyone was fooled by the persona she “made up.” That she was evil and cunning. So now she blames herself.

But how others treated Mizi all along was a reflection of how Mizi treated them. Everyone—Ivan, Sua, Till, Hyuna—really cared for her. That’s because she did always love them sincerely, and that love came through.

Even if Mizi now thinks, “I had such awful thoughts. I was calculating and untrue…”, the other characters would probably look at her now and say: “Oh Mizi… You went through so much. It’s okay. We don't blame you.”

Her tendency to blame herself, feel guilty, and try to meet others’ expectations isn’t selfish. It comes from how deeply she cares about others.

She's really that girl who wants to say, “That kid who hit me wasn’t actually that bad…” That comes from her heart. That’s Mizi’s true kindness.

She really is a good person, with a beautiful heart.

If Mizi had lived an ordinary life, her outward appearance and core inner self would’ve been fully aligned.

But in this series, the situation is so extreme that extra emotional layers got added on top of all that

That doesn’t mean she lacks kindness or her usual cheery brightness.

You know those super cheerful moments in the previous videos or comics— the ones where Mizi looks carefree and innocent?

That is her true nature.

It’s just that, even while she looks that way, she’s also holding a lot of thoughts and feelings inside. It can happen at the same time. Whether consciously or unconsciously, she’s carried those burdens.

And if she had lived in a world where she didn’t have to carry them, those layers might never have formed.

That’s how I interpret it.

Oh, and that one picture where Mizi is smiling over the bodies of the other characters you can find in VIVINO'S youtube channel—

That’s displaying her inner self-hatred and despair.

If everyone else had survived, she would’ve been so much happier. But she survived alone in that horrible situation.

So now she thinks:

“I’m the only one who survived? Wow, look at you. Good job. You got what you wanted by using everyone else, didn’t you?” She’s turning that blame inward. She’s labeling herself as cruel.

It might be a kind of psychological defense or rationalization, but ultimately it’s because she’s suffering.

Of course she is…

If someone came back alive and told her:

“You didn’t survive because you were cunning. You survived because we loved you, just as much as you loved us.” Then I think Mizi could start to heal. But that hasn’t happened—so she can’t.

I really wonder what’ll happen to her...;

Mizi is someone who wants to be kind and deeply understanding.

Her ideals are high— she wants to love everyone, be good to everyone, to not feel hatred, give whatever she can. Her desires do lie in those kindness.

But because she can’t reach those ideals, she thinks she’s a bad person and blames herself. That's what's being portrayed in that particular comic. She's someone who's struggling to be kind and is currently devaluing herself from the mismatch between her ideals and her reality. She deserves to be happy, like everyone else in this series does. And forgive herself regarding what's happened at that, because what's happened is so far from her fault.

[writingjourney]

what i don't get is why do you use an AI pic as a banner or graphic for your fic after you spent hours writing it? you discredit your whole work because you can't be bothered to look for a proper cc licensed stock photo or use one of the many, many graphics people create on here for free for exactly that purpose? will never understand.

[blatantprinterpropaganda]

ai-oon's current search history like. "am i gay" "am i gay quiz" "universal design initiatives bangkok" "how to tell a beautiful smart attractive interesting clever rich woman who kissed you that your twin sister who she thinks is you and who she is actually dating in fact ditched her when she went blind to get married to a man but then your sister fell into a coma on the same day she asked you to break up with this woman who is too good for both of you and whose heart you don't want to break and who you may be 50% in love with already" "what if it's 75% actually" "how to stop thinking about lesbian sex" "how to get rid of a cockroach without touching it or looking at it or thinking about it" "is it gay to forget there's a cockroach in the room because you're so busy thinking about lesbian sex"

[the-kingshound]

I’m sorry to tell you this, but I’m pretty certain that the pink outfit that Adult Mordred/Evaine would wear is AI.

Noo, I wasn't aware of that... I'll tag it at least so people are aware of that