Which One is Fake? How to Spot AI-Generated Videos
We are entering an era where seeing is no longer believing. With tools like Sora and Runway Gen-2, reality is becoming a suggestion, not a rule. Here is how to keep your guard up.
It used to be easy to spot a fake video. The mouth didn't move right, the voice sounded robotic, or the resolution was blurry. Those days are gone. Modern Generative AI can create 1080p, photorealistic footage of people who don't exist doing things that never happened.
If you consume news, social media, or political content, you are at risk of being manipulated. But AI isn't magic; it's math. And math makes mistakes.
The 3 Glitches: Where AI Fails
While the faces look perfect, the AI struggles with the physics of the real world. To spot a fake, you need to stop looking at the center of the screen and start looking at the edges.
1. The Hand Problem (Anatomy)
AI hates hands. It understands what a hand looks like, but it doesn't understand how fingers connect to a palm.
- Count the fingers: AI often generates 6 fingers or 4 fingers.
- Watch the grip: If someone is holding a coffee cup, look closely. Do the fingers melt into the ceramic? Does the handle disappear?
- Disappearing Limbs: Watch for arms that fade into nothingness or legs that walk through solid objects.
2. The Dead Eyes (Blinking & Reflection)
The eyes are the window to the soul, and AI has no soul. Deepfake algorithms are trained on still images, so they often forget the biological necessity of blinking.
The Reflection Test: Look at the reflection in the iris. In a real video, if a person is standing outside, you should see the sky or trees reflected. In an AI video, the reflection might be a blurred mess or a room that doesn't match the background.
3. Physics & Shadows
Light is consistent in the real world. In AI, light is subjective.
- Shadows: If the sun is on the left, the shadow must be on the right. AI often forgets to cast shadows for small objects like glasses or jewelry.
- Text: Look at background signs, t-shirt logos, or newspapers. AI often generates gibberish alien text instead of readable words.
Tools You Can Use to Verify
You don't have to rely just on your eyes. There are tools being built to fight this.
| Tool | How It Works | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Deepware Scanner | Scans video for face manipulation artifacts. | Free |
| Intel FakeCatcher | Analyzes blood flow (PPG) in pixels. | Enterprise |
| Hive Moderation | Detects AI-generated content patterns. | Paid API |
Conclusion
The technology is moving faster than the laws. We cannot wait for regulation to protect us. Digital literacy—the ability to look at a video and critically analyze its authenticity—is the new survival skill of the 21st century.
Stay skeptical. Check the hands. Verify the source.
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