Checklist · 5 min read
Common AI Image Artifacts to Look For
AI image artifacts are small visual errors that reveal an image may be synthetic. They are easiest to spot when you inspect the image area by area instead of judging the whole picture at once.
Hands, teeth, and eyes
Hands may have extra fingers, fused fingers, inconsistent nails, or unnatural bends. Teeth can merge together, and eyes may point in slightly different directions.
These signals are useful, but newer models are improving quickly, so they are not enough on their own.
Text, logos, and signs
AI systems often struggle with exact lettering. Watch for fake brand names, scrambled signs, distorted labels, and text that becomes unreadable when zoomed in.
Real images can also contain blurry text, so compare the text quality with the rest of the scene.
Reflections and shadows
Mirrors, windows, water, glasses, and glossy surfaces should reflect the scene in a consistent way. AI images may create reflections that do not match the objects around them.
Shadows can reveal mismatched light direction, missing contact points, or objects that appear to float.
Repeating textures
Look at grass, hair, brick walls, fabric, crowds, and leaves. AI-generated textures may repeat too evenly or dissolve into abstract patterns.
Compression can hide or create artifacts, so inspect the highest-quality version you can find.
FAQ
What are AI artifacts?
AI artifacts are visual flaws or inconsistencies produced by generative models, such as warped hands, strange text, mismatched reflections, or unnatural textures.
Do all AI images have obvious artifacts?
No. Some synthetic images are very clean, and some real photos have odd details. Artifacts are clues, not proof by themselves.
Practice with examples
Think you can spot the difference?
Try the Real or AI quiz and test your judgment against real photos and synthetic images.
Try the Real or AI image quiz