HAVE you ever looked at a realistic photo online and wondered whether it was real or created by Artificial Intelligence (AI)? With the rise of advanced AI image generators like Midjourney, DALL-E, and Stable Diffusion, fabricated images are spreading faster than ever.
Detecting AI images requires a careful eye and systematic verification. AI-generated images often look perfectly polished but contain subtle distortions, such as unnatural textures, weirdly shaped hands, or blurred background elements.
Fortunately, tech tools have been developed specifically to help you identify whether a picture was taken by a camera or synthesised by an algorithm.
This tutorial on how to detect AI-generated images will look at three popular tools:
- Hive Moderation AI Detector
- Illuminarty
- IsItAI
1) Hive Moderation AI Detector
Hive Moderation offers a highly accurate tool for scanning digital media to see if it was created by an AI engine. It provides a breakdown probability percentage of which specific AI model (like Stable Diffusion or Midjourney) was likely used.
Steps to use Hive Moderation:
- Open any web browser on your device and go to hivemoderation.com/ai-generated-content-detection.
- Locate the demo interface below the header menu.
- Click on the large “+” (plus) card to upload an image from your device.
- Once the image is selected, the platform automatically runs the analysis.
- Review the results on the right side panel:
- The top indicator will tell you if the input is “likely to contain AI-generated or deepfake content.”
- A percentage score (e.g., 99.9%) indicates the confidence level of the detection.
- Under Generation Sources, you can see the specific model responsible (such as stablediffusionxl).
For instance, The FactCheckHub used the tool t I o debunk a series of manipulated images circulating across social media that falsely portrayed former President Muhammadu Buhari as being alive in Egypt. Upon analysis, the tool returned an 84.3% probability score for a Deepfake face-swap and a 31.9% score for a fully AI-generated image environment.
2) Illuminarty
Illuminarty is a specialised web utility designed to find traces of AI generation algorithms, making it highly effective at identifying digital fabrications.
Steps to use Illuminarty:
- Open your web browser and visit app.illuminarty.ai.
- On the dark-themed interface, locate the central bounding box.
- Drag and drop your file directly into this area, or click the text that says “Drag & drop the file here or click here to upload file”.
- Select the target image from your device storage.
- Once uploaded, the system will process the file’s structure and output an AI Score percentage meter to show you how much of the image resembles known synthetic patterns.
When The FactCheckHub verified viral footage allegedly showing American soldiers eating Egusi soup in Nigeria, the automated analysis returned a high probability score of 90.2%. The result clarified that the videos were generated using AI.
3) IsItAI
IsItAI is a clean, user-friendly platform built specifically for quick checks. It utilises deep learning models to contrast real-world photographic textures against synthetic AI elements.
Steps to use IsItAI:
- Launch your browser and navigate to isitai.com/ai-image-detector.
- Depending on your source file, select one of the tabs: Upload Image, Image URL, or Batch Mode.
- Under the default Upload Image tab, click “browse files” (in red) or drag and drop your image directly into the dashed rectangular box.
- Ensure your image is a supported format (JPEG, PNG, WebP) and does not exceed the maximum size of 5MB.
- Click the solid red Run Detection button at the bottom of the tool container to view your direct verdict.
The FactCheckHub deployed the tool to debunk a viral image depicting President Tinubu shaking hands with activist Omoleye Sowore. The forensic analysis indicated a 94% probability that the image was AI-generated.
Seasoned writer and literary curator, Zainab Abdulrasaq is a factchecker for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached on IG @blackbookishgirl or zabdulrasaq@icirnigeria.org
