Bruce Dias 
Where were you when publicly available “AI” technology first became popular? It seems like the world went from AI being something futuristic seen in Hollywood movies to something your grandmum can create on her phone. AI-generated images have incredible upsides, but nefarious actors can use them to confuse, malign, and misrepresent things and people. Here are a few things to keep an eye out for to better stop “well-made” AI content from deceiving you.
Assume It Is
Someone can take a seemingly ordinary picture or video of a person, then expertly edit something minute but essential about it to present the wrong narrative to their prospective victims. Imagine a video of you talking in front of a camera. These people can edit what you’re saying and what they want to communicate while maintaining your voice, inflections, and mannerisms. Imagine someone trying to pretend you said something you never uttered while playing a friendly game on casino Ice or any other top platform. 100% AI-generated content is pretty easy to figure out, but we need to pay more attention to the little details.
These days, the best cause of action is to assume everything you see and hear online is AI-generated until proven otherwise. The popular AI photo and video-generating platforms feature a “texture” that’s undeniable and unmistakable. Once you see content that looks like that, it becomes evident that a computer was involved in creating it. Many older and less technologically savvy people do not understand the difference and take most things at face value. Thieves, scammers, and negative actors frequently use partially generated AI content to deceive people, and these types of media are more complex to decipher.
Invest in Software
In the past, the concept of “seeing is believing” was a golden rule, but nowadays, seeing something does not guarantee that it’s real or what it presents to be.
Most people need help, and no matter how savvy and eagle-eyed you might think you are, it’s relatively easy to fall victim to AI-content scammers because these people are improving daily. They also target vulnerable groups like the old, illiterate, and young, so it’s essential to invest in the right software for you and your loved ones. It is worth a couple of dollars a month to avoid losing incredible sums.
Many AI-checkers are available on the internet, and this is the startup idea of the year because more of these services pop up almost daily. Do your due diligence to ensure that your AI content check does what it claims to do because many of these services are get-rich-quick schemes for the people behind them. They overpromise and underdeliver. Hopefully, 2025 will usher in a competent and widely available AI-checker for videos, audio, and photos, similar to how Adobe began offering a Photoshop tool to detect pictures with potential Photoshop-created works.
Gut Feeling
You’ll be surprised by the number of people who survived AI-content-based attacks because of their gut feeling. One thing about most AI-generated media is that there’s often something ominous and lifeless about them. The best publicly available AI media creators also have this issue, as the scenes sometimes look ominous. Some people on the Internet reported how they came across some of the best-made AI-generated content. The pictures and videos passed all the tell-tale signs like hair, fingers, toes, texture, and motion but felt off to viewers.
Most of us do not know what the companies behind these services have behind the scenes; they are most likely working on technologies that have successfully fixed many of the stereotypical AI issues but have yet to make these technologies publicly available. There’s also the military factor; most countries would love to own the most competent AI-generating software — who knows, they might already own these technologies.
Below are a few more ways to avoid and survive AI-generated media attacks:
- Habit: If someone you care about suddenly reaches out acting unnaturally, asking for things they would never ask for, wait and do more research without sending what they demand. The first step to surviving personality-based attacks is to doubt everything and remember what the person is likely to do.
- Family & Friends Safe Phrases: Physically set words and phrases with your closest friends and family members so that when in doubt, they can present these phrases to you, or you can request them. This method has been known to help against attacks.
- Learn More About the Tech: Go beyond surface-level info and learn more about AI content generation from the companies and individuals providing the technologies that make these possible. You’ll be surprised by what you know by looking behind the scenes.
Maximising AI for Good
Artificial Intelligence is a net positive for the world, but unfortunately, the actions of a small group of people are ruining this excellent innovation for everyone else. While you stay vigilant and double-check everything, remember the positive and fun experiences you can enjoy with this technology.
