In a nutshell

  • AI-generated videos are becoming increasingly sophisticated, making it more challenging to spot AI-generated videos and distinguish them from genuine videos.
  • Key indicators of AI-generated videos include unnatural movements or expressions, mismatched audio and video, unusual textures, lighting and objects morphing or appearing/disappearing.
  • Verifying the source of a video and looking for AI content labels can aid in identifying and verifying the authenticity of video content.

Have you ever seen a video and thought, “Something’s a bit odd?” There’s a high chance that you’ve encountered at least one AI video content. In the past, they’ve had easy tells that gave them away as AI-generated. However, as AI technology gets better, it’s getting harder and harder to spot AI content.

While most of these videos are made for fun to make viewers laugh, some are using AI generation for malicious purposes. One of the primary examples of this is using AI to generate realistic faces of creators and place them onto other bodies. This has been used to make it seem like creators have engaged in pornographic acts when they haven’t nor consented to it.

It’s an important issue in the creator community that’s only going to continue to get more pressing. The question is now: Is it possible to identify AI-generated video content and avoid being tricked? The answer is, for now: Yes.

Here’s what you need to look out for to spot AI videos.

What is AI video content? 

Before learning how to identify artificial intelligence (AI) video content, it is important to understand what AI content exactly is. Videos containing AI-generated video content are produced using artificial intelligence. These algorithms, in particular, analyze and modify visual and auditory elements using deep neural networks. 

Most of the time, someone uses artificial intelligence software to manipulate an existing video clip. As the AI gets trained on more datasets, it will be able to generate a video from scratch. In the past, this technology was less available to the general public. But, in recent years, this technology has become more readily available, allowing almost anyone to use AI to generate or alter videos.

How to tell if a video is made by AI

Even with AI getting better at making videos, you can still figure out if a video is created by artificial intelligence. Just look for the following:

Weird movements or expressions

Watch how the person in the video moves and acts. Real people have natural, free movements. AI-made videos might have overly smooth or rigid movements that miss the subtle complexity of genuine human behavior.

Audio and video do not match

In real videos, the sound matches what you see in the subject’s mouth and movement. But AI-made videos can sometimes mess up this sync, making their lip movement and audio not match up well. When you want to spot if a video is AI content, try to notice if the lips don’t line up with the words or if the sound seems off and weird. While this isn’t a tell-tale sign, as audio desync and editing mistakes happens, it’s definitely a warning sign.

Unusual textures and lighting

The visual aesthetics of a video can unveil crucial insights into its authenticity. Glossy textures and unnatural lighting are common red flags in AI-generated content. Whether it’s an excessively polished skin texture or lighting conditions that deviate from natural norms, these anomalies can be indicative of AI tampering. 

A bit too perfect 

You should be cautious of videos that appear excessively polished. Often times, AI content comes with a glossy, smooth look. So, if people or objects are looking a bit too perfect, with little to no imperfections, it might be AI.

Objects appearing/disappearing or morphing

Watch for sudden, inexplicable changes in objects or scenery. Sudden and unexplained changes within a video, such as objects appearing or disappearing or scenes undergoing abrupt morphing, can be strong indicators of AI involvement. 

While human-created content tends to maintain consistency, AI algorithms may struggle to blend scenes or maintain logical transitions seamlessly.

Try to find the video’s source

In the pursuit of authenticity, you can take an additional step by attempting to trace the origin of a video. Genuine content typically has a traceable source, whether it’s the original uploader or the content creator’s platform. 

AI-generated videos, on the other hand, might lack a clear source. Also, AI videos often are altered videos, so if you find the original video, it will out the video in question as AI. Always conduct a reverse search to see test the videos authenticity, especially for questionable videos of creators.

AI content labeler is a must

Nowadays, telling real videos from AI-made ones can be tricky. Pay close attention, look at details and use tools to check where things come from. This way, you can keep things clear and transparent online. Thankfully, more social media platforms are requiring creators to label their content that was generated by AI or needed the help of an AI tool. This will surely help in the fight against disinformation online. We will have to see how these policies are enforced, but for now, it’s up to viewers to look for the telltale signs listed above to spot AI content.