The Times Australia
The Times World News

.
The Times Real Estate

.

AI image generation is advancing at astronomical speeds. Can we still tell if a picture is fake?

  • Written by Brendan Paul Murphy, Lecturer in Digital Media, CQUniversity Australia
AI image generation is advancing at astronomical speeds. Can we still tell if a picture is fake?

Fake photography is nothing new. In the 1910s, British author Arthur Conan Doyle was famously deceived by two school-aged sisters who had produced photographs of elegant fairies cavorting in their garden.

Black and white image of a girl surrounded by paper cutouts of fairies
The first of the five ‘Cottingley Fairies’ photographs, taken by Elsie Wright in 1917. Wikipedia[1]

Today it is hard to believe these photos could have fooled anybody, but it was not until the 1980s an expert named Geoffrey Crawley had the nerve to directly apply his knowledge of film photography and deduce the obvious.

The photographs were fake, as later admitted by one of the sisters themselves.

A slightly uncanny image of a smiling man holding an oldschool photography camera
In 1982 Geoffrey Crawley deduced the fairy photographs were fake. So is this one. Brendan Murphy, Author provided

Hunting for artefacts and common sense

Digital photography has opened up a wealth of techniques for fakers and detectives alike.

Forensic examination of suspect images nowadays involves hunting for qualities inherent to digital photography, such as examining metadata embedded in the photos[2], using software such as Adobe Photoshop to correct distortions in images, and searching for telltale signs of manipulation[3], such as regions being duplicated to obscure original features.

Sometimes digital edits are too subtle to detect, but leap into view when we adjust the way light and dark pixels are distributed. For example, in 2010 NASA released a photo of Saturn’s moons Dione and Titan[4]. It was in no way fake, but had been cleaned up to remove stray artefacts – which got the attention of conspiracy theorists[5].

Curious, I put the image into Photoshop. The illustration below recreates roughly how this looked.

Screenshot of an image editing screen with charts for dark and light adjustment
A simulation showing how editing can be detected when levels of light and dark are adjusted. Brendan Murphy, Author provided

Most digital photographs are in compressed formats such as JPEG, slimmed down by removing much of the information captured by the camera. Standardised algorithms ensure the information removed has minimal visible impact – but it does leave traces.

The compression of any region of an image will depend on what is going on in the image and current camera settings; when a fake image combines multiple sources, it is often possible to detect this by careful analysis of the compression artefacts[6].

Some forensic methodology has little to do with the format of an image, but is essentially visual detective work[7]. Is everyone in the photograph lit in the same way? Are shadows and reflections making sense? Are ears and hands showing light and shadow in the right places? What is reflected in people’s eyes? Would all the lines and angles of the room add up if we modelled the scene in 3D?

Arthur Conan Doyle may have been fooled by fairy photos, but I think his creation Sherlock Holmes would be right at home in the world of forensic photo analysis.

A new era of artificial intelligence

The current explosion of images created by text-to-image artificial intelligence (AI) tools is in many ways more radical than the shift from film to digital photography.

We can now conjure any image we want, just by typing. These images are not frankenphotos made by cobbling together pre-existing clumps of pixels. They are entirely new images with the content, quality and style specified.

Read more: AI art is everywhere right now. Even experts don't know what it will mean[8]

Until recently the complex neural networks used to generate these images have had limited availability to the public. This changed on August 23 2022, with the release to the public of the open-source Stable Diffusion[9]. Now anyone with a gaming-level Nvidia graphics card in their computer can create AI image content without any research lab or business gatekeeping their activities.

This has prompted many to ask, “can we ever believe what we see online again?[10]”. That depends.

Text-to-image AI gets its smarts from training – the analysis of a large number of image/caption pairs. The strengths and weaknesses of each system are in part derived from just what images it has been trained on. Here is an example: this is how Stable Diffusion sees George Clooney doing his ironing.

A slightly uncanny image of a man with distorted features holding a white towel This is George Clooney doing his ironing… or is it? Brendan Murphy, Author provided

This is far from realistic. All Stable Diffusion has to go on is the information it has learned, and while it is clear it has seen George Clooney and can link that string of letters to the actor’s features, it is not a Clooney expert.

However, it would have seen and digested many more photos of middle-aged men in general, so let’s see what happens when we ask for a generic middle-aged man in the same scenario.

A slightly uncanny image of a middle-aged man with rounded features looking at the camera and holding a shirt Not-George-Clooney doing his ironing. Brendan Murphy, Author provided

This is a clear improvement, but still not quite realistic. As has always been the case, the tricky geometry of hands and ears are good places to look for signs of fakery – although in this medium we are looking at the spatial geometry rather than the tells of impossible lighting.

There may be other clues. If we carefully reconstructed the room, would the corners be square? Would the shelves make sense? A forensic expert used to examining digital photographs could probably make a call on that.

Read more: Cyber CSI: the challenges of digital forensics[11]

We can no longer believe our eyes

If we extend a text-to-image system’s knowledge, it can do even better. You can add your own described photographs to supplement existing training. This process is known as textual inversion[12].

Recently, Google has released Dream Booth[13], an alternative, more sophisticated method for injecting specific people, objects or even art styles into text-to-image AI systems.

This process requires heavy-duty hardware, but the results are staggering. Some great work has begun to be shared on Reddit. Look at the photos in the post below[14] that show images put into DreamBooth and realistic fake images from Stable Diffusion.

We can no longer believe our eyes, but we may still be able to trust those of forensics experts, at least for now. It is entirely possible that future systems could be deliberately trained to fool them too.

We are rapidly moving into an era where perfect photographic and even video will be common. Time will tell how significant this will be, but in the meantime it is worth remembering the lesson of the Cottingley Fairy photos – sometimes people just want to believe, even in obvious fakes.

Read more: From epic storm pics to fairies in the garden, be careful with images[15]

References

  1. ^ Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
  2. ^ metadata embedded in the photos (www.iptc.org)
  3. ^ searching for telltale signs of manipulation (fotoforensics.com)
  4. ^ photo of Saturn’s moons Dione and Titan (apod.nasa.gov)
  5. ^ the attention of conspiracy theorists (www.space.com)
  6. ^ careful analysis of the compression artefacts (farid.berkeley.edu)
  7. ^ visual detective work (www.bbc.com)
  8. ^ AI art is everywhere right now. Even experts don't know what it will mean (theconversation.com)
  9. ^ open-source Stable Diffusion (stability.ai)
  10. ^ can we ever believe what we see online again? (arstechnica.com)
  11. ^ Cyber CSI: the challenges of digital forensics (theconversation.com)
  12. ^ textual inversion (arxiv.org)
  13. ^ Dream Booth (medium.com)
  14. ^ in the post below (www.reddit.com)
  15. ^ From epic storm pics to fairies in the garden, be careful with images (theconversation.com)

Read more https://theconversation.com/ai-image-generation-is-advancing-at-astronomical-speeds-can-we-still-tell-if-a-picture-is-fake-191674

The Times Features

From Classic to Contemporary: 5 Timeless Costumes for Any Party

When it comes to dressing up for a costume party, you want to choose something that is not only fun but also memorable. Whether you're attending a Halloween event, a themed gathe...

Action Figures as Art: The Growing Trend of Custom Figures and Modding

Action figures have long been regarded as collectible items, valued by enthusiasts and fans for their connection to popular culture. However, in recent years, a growing trend has...

The Ultimate Guide to Securing Grants for Your Small Business in Australia

Running a small business in Australia comes with both opportunities and challenges. While it can be rewarding, funding your business through the early stages or periods of growth...

Men’s Guide to Styling Suits with Sweaters for the Ultimate Winter Look

Winter brings a unique set of challenges when it comes to maintaining a sharp and stylish wardrobe. While suits are a staple of a well-dressed man’s closet, staying warm during t...

Discover the Charm of a Girl's White Dress

Key Highlights Timeless elegance: White dresses feel pure and have classic charm. They are perfect for many types of events. Versatile styles: You can pick from lace, embroid...

Top Medical Grade Red Light Therapy Devices in Australia

Key Highlights Lumitter™ has advanced red light therapy devices that combine new ideas with wellness. Red light therapy helps lower pain and swelling and boosts skin health. ...

Times Magazine

The Essential Guide to Transforming Office Spaces for Maximum Efficiency

Why Office Fitouts MatterA well-designed office can make all the difference in productivity, employee satisfaction, and client impressions. Businesses of all sizes are investing in updated office spaces to create environments that foster collaborat...

The A/B Testing Revolution: How AI Optimized Landing Pages Without Human Input

A/B testing was always integral to the web-based marketing world. Was there a button that converted better? Marketing could pit one against the other and see which option worked better. This was always through human observation, and over time, as d...

Using Countdown Timers in Email: Do They Really Increase Conversions?

In a world that's always on, where marketers are attempting to entice a subscriber and get them to convert on the same screen with one email, the power of urgency is sometimes the essential element needed. One of the most popular ways to create urg...

Types of Software Consultants

In today's technology-driven world, businesses often seek the expertise of software consultants to navigate complex software needs. There are several types of software consultants, including solution architects, project managers, and user experienc...

CWU Assistive Tech Hub is Changing Lives: Win a Free Rollator Walker This Easter!

🌟 Mobility. Independence. Community. All in One. This Easter, the CWU Assistive Tech Hub is pleased to support the Banyule community by giving away a rollator walker. The giveaway will take place during the Macleod Village Easter Egg Hunt & Ma...

"Eternal Nurture" by Cara Barilla: A Timeless Collection of Wisdom and Healing

Renowned Sydney-born author and educator Cara Barilla has released her latest book, Eternal Nurture, a profound collection of inspirational quotes designed to support mindfulness, emotional healing, and personal growth. With a deep commitment to ...

LayBy Shopping