Around 12% of businesses are already using AI for content creation, making this one of the most common applications for generative artificial intelligence.
That said, there’s no denying the fact that content generated through AI is different from images and texts from human creators.
So, how can you identify texts and images that have been created through AI?
3 Ways to Identify AI Text
With almost 850 million monthly visitors, ChatGPT is the most popular generative AI language tool available–but it’s far from the only option.
Here are some tips you can use to identify content generated through ChatGPT and other AI platforms.
#1. Check for Repetition of Common Terms
The vast majority of generative AI language models attempt to predict the next letter in a sentence based on your input.
However, this also means that these language models are likely to repeat common words like “the,” “it,” and “is.” Rather than identifying the repetition and adjusting it, AI models usually look over this pattern.
So, if a piece of content repeats these common words to the point of being noticeable, it may be a sign it was generated through AI.
#2. Review Sentence Length, Punctuation, and Other Patterns
Most of us read at a 7th or 8th grade-level in terms of comprehension.
So, when AI platforms like ChatGPT generate written content for us, they tend to follow readability best practices to the extreme, which usually results in visible patterns.
This includes things like:
- Same sentence length: humans like reading shorter texts, and AI platforms know this, so they tend to write short sentences that are roughly the same length, creating a monotonous tone;
- Punctuation: likewise, you may also notice patterns in punctuation like a comma, colon, or semicolon every so often, so the point that it becomes noticeable;
- Platform-specific watermarks: this is a more advanced strategy developed by computer scientists. The idea is that you can identify invisible “watermarks,” which consist of variables like specific word choices to help identify AI-generated text.
The watermarks technique was developed by independent researchers.
That said, OpenAI, the company behind the creation of ChatGPT, has confirmed it is developing these watermarks to make AI content easy to identify later on.
#3. Verify Typos and Grammar Errors
Texts written by AI rarely ever have typos or grammar mistakes, and this in itself can be a way to identify artificial intelligence content.
The reality is that human text is usually filled with typos, grammar mistakes, and inconsistencies. Not only this, but we tend to bend the rules and manipulate language to help us get our point across.
AI language models lack this ability, so if you notice that a piece of writing is too pristine and robotic, it may have been created by an AI platform.
3 Ways to Spot AI Images
AI images portraying shocking scenarios have flooded the web over the last few years–but many of the most notorious cases have actually been the work of AI.
Here are a few ways you can differentiate images created by AI from real photographs.
#1. Pay Attention to Fingers and Teeth
All AI models need to be trained through a database that includes images. However, not all images in these databases include complete images of hands and smiles.
Because of this, it’s common for AI platforms to struggle with the creation of teeth and fingers. So, if you want to know if an image was created or doctored using AI, start by checking that the fingers and teeth have the right number of extremities and proportions.
#2. Look at Unnatural Smoothness
Another common mistake that AI platforms make when creating images is generating overly smooth textures.
This issue can be noticed on all surfaces, including the skin of the people in the image, their clothing, and even on secondary elements.
#3. Assess the Logic of the Image
With text-based content, it’s necessary to read at least part of it to determine where it came from. Images, on the other hand, are easier to assess visually.
An effective way to determine if an image was generated through AI is to assess the logic of the elements inside of the frame.
For instance, the famous pictures of a beached great white shark that went viral were quickly disproved after social media users noticed that the characteristics of the animal were slightly different in every image.
How Will AI-Generated Content Impact the World?
It’s impossible to predict the impact of AI-generated content and how it will shape society.
On the one hand, the biggest effect of AI may be a boost in productivity and efficiency, given that artificial intelligence can be used to create content at scale.
That said, AI can also be used to spread misinformation in many formats, including text, images, and even deepfake videos that have the potential to be extremely damaging at a social level.
With that said, it’s paramount to have a good cybersecurity culture in place to avoid getting your data breached and cracked when using AI tools.
Try a VPN to protect your sensitive information when playing with the generative AI, and don’t forget that everything you put out there–can be used against you.
Conclusion
AI tools have already changed the way we generate content for marketing and entertainment.
That said, it’s essential for us to retain the ability to differentiate between AI and human content to understand the potential impact these texts and images can have on humans.
While already difficult, it’s possible to identify AI text by checking for repetition, identifying patterns, and even using artificial intelligence platforms.
Likewise, you can usually stop AI images due to the distinct appearance of fingers, teeth, surface smoothness, and the overall logic of the image.
All in all, artificial intelligence content is already a major trend that will continue to grow and shape how we view modern brands.
