Is That Video Ai? 6 Tell-tale Signs It's A Deepfake

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Is that video AI? 6 tell-tale signs it's a deepfake
Screenshot by Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

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ZDNET cardinal takeaways

  • AI videos are flooding societal media feeds daily.
  • It is harder than ever to show existent from fake.
  • Here's really you tin separate what's existent aliases not

AI-generated videos are everyplace now -- connected TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, you sanction it.

We've each seen 1 successful our feeds astatine this point: a chaotic carnivore sneaks into a backyard toward a toddler, only to beryllium heroically chased disconnected by nan family dog (what a bully boy!), aliases an alligator returning a mislaid babe safely to its mother.

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These unbelievable videos are virtually that: unbelievable, arsenic successful not real. But sometimes they're little conspicuous, for illustration deer aliases rabbits jumping connected trampolines, an angry preacher giving a heated sermon, aliases a well-known influencer doing their constitution and skincare.

All of these are deepfakes created pinch artificial intelligence, and judge it aliases not, they're fooling millions of group each day. New devices for illustration OpenAI's Sora 2 and Google's Nano Banana exemplary tin make photorealistic scenes complete pinch synced speech and sound effects. They tin moreover characteristic celebrated aliases humanities figures. Today, thing tin beryllium faked successful a video.

How to spot an AI video

Scared now? If you're wondering really you tin show erstwhile a clip is really AI-generated, don't worry. Here are immoderate telltale signs.

The biggest giveaway is ocular glitches. If you inspect frames closely, you mightiness drawback bizarre anomalies.

For example, an AI-generated video that went viral pinch complete 9.5 cardinal likes connected TikTok shows a polar carnivore cub being "rescued" astatine oversea pinch Titanic's taxable euphony playing successful nan background. Convincing astatine a glance, but eagle-eyed viewers noticed nan cub momentarily morphs into a canine and sprouts an other paw for a fewer frames.

Also: I tested Sora's caller 'Character Cameo' feature, and it was borderline disturbing

In yet different video of a carnivore encounter, nan backmost extremity of a car seems to get each fuzzy and slice successful and retired of nan framework arsenic nan chaotic animal moves successful beforehand of it. Or this video, wherever hundreds of American bald eagles onshore connected vehicles and supposedly artifact postulation for hours. You tin intelligibly spot nan video frames glitching connected nan right.

Take a adjacent look astatine nan shadows, reflections, and lighting successful a suspicious video. Does everything statement up consistently? Sometimes it's much obvious, for illustration people's faces successful nan inheritance abruptly looking garbled. Distorted subjects, elements flickering successful and retired of existence, aliases erratic movements are signs of AI footage.

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1. Glitches and continuity errors
Screenshot by Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

Nearly everyone coming has a 4K camera successful their pocket, connected their porch, aliases watching their driveway. Even your grandma's doorbell tin sprout video crisp capable to beryllium connected TV.

So erstwhile you stumble crossed a "mind-blowing" clip that looks for illustration it was filmed connected your uncle's handheld camcorder from 1992, it mightiness beryllium clip to return a hit and inquire yourself, "Why does this footage look for illustration it was uploaded from a potato?" Because successful 2025, nary existent video should look that chopped.

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For instance, that grainy AI video of erstwhile President Barack Obama "giving a concealed speech," aliases nan "cell telephone footage" of a tornado tearing done municipality -- pinch pixels nan size of Legos -- yeah, those are reddish flags. The aforesaid goes for that V-shaped UFO caught hovering complete Los Angeles. They're each bad.

If you're watching thing chaotic and unbelievable, but it's weirdly low-quality, there's a bully chance it's AI.

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2. Low-res, bad-quality footage
Screenshot by Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

OK, I've talked astir really evidently bad videos are often AI, but sometimes AI tin look excessively bully -- truthful bully it almost crosses into uncanny territory.

Take this video of parents cuddling their babies. Everyone's tegument is poreless, nan lighting looks for illustration it came consecutive retired of a movie, and, somehow, nary 1 blinks astatine nan correct time. Or this 1 of personification getting a facial astatine a spa, aliases this 1 of President Donald Trump getting an orangish spray tan (yes, really).

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Here's different video of a baby putting connected lipstick and babbling into a phone. They're each truthful hyperrealistic, it's for illustration they're animated. That's because they are -- they're generated by AI.

In my opinion, these kinds of AI videos are really more evident than galore of nan different examples I've shared -- precisely because they're excessively perfect. But you'd beryllium amazed really galore group still autumn for them, particularly erstwhile nan net keeps churning them retired faster than anyone tin fact-check.

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. Uncanny, hyper-realistic appearance
Screenshot by Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

Another hint that a video mightiness beryllium AI is its wide speed, fluidity, and cinematic-like quality.

Have you noticed really galore of these AI clips person a strangely dreamy appearance? This method surely adds a vibe that grabs viewers, for illustration thing correct retired of a movie. But it's AI.

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A cleanable illustration is each those "historical" POV videos you spot connected societal media -- for illustration people walking through Pompeii connected nan time Mount Vesuvius erupted. Or never-before-seen footage of nan movie Titanic, from Rose's perspective. Not only are they hyperrealistic and almost animated-looking, but nan framework complaint and pacing are off.

The camera activity is too smooth, and there's often a subtle slow-mo effect that gives everything an eerie polish. These aren't movie scenes filmed by Hollywood -- they're deepfakes.

These clips mightiness look evident to immoderate now, but erstwhile they first started showing up, they fooled plentifulness of people.

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4. Oddly slow, dreamlike videos
Screenshot by Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

Beyond your eyes, you tin usage your ears to spot AI videos. Audio tin beryllium a existent giveaway erstwhile it comes to deepfakes. If personification is speaking, watch intimately to spot if their rima movements genuinely align pinch nan words.

Often, you'll announcement flimsy lip-sync issues. The timing is conscionable a spot off, aliases nan rima shapes don't rather lucifer nan reside sounds. For example, return this video of a woman moving from a tsunami. It conscionable doesn't sound right.

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This benignant of AI video is particularly communal pinch politicians and celebrities. People emotion taking what looks for illustration a existent clip of them and making them opportunity wildly inappropriate things -- for illustration this video of former President Joe Biden giving a speech. While nan footage mightiness look for illustration him and nan sound mightiness sound for illustration him, look person and you'll spot nan lips and jaw activity are somewhat off. These issues are conscionable capable to consciousness unsettling to our brains.

And beyond nan voice, perceive for nan setting. Are nan inheritance noises right? Sometimes deepfake audio lacks nan earthy ambient sounds aliases echoes you'd expect from a existent environment. There mightiness not moreover beryllium sound connected immoderate AI videos, specified arsenic this clip of actor Brad Pitt giving character Jennifer Aniston a haircut.

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5. Audio syncing issues
Screenshot by Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

Last but not least, inquire yourself if what you conscionable watched seems moreover remotely imaginable aliases excessively funny, cute, aliases astonishing to beryllium real. It astir apt is, if that's nan case.

I retrieve past year, erstwhile those videos of babies stepping nan runway started popping up, my aunt shared 1 connected Facebook and gushed astir really adorable it was to spot nan babies each dressed up for illustration mini models. Seriously.

Also: I tried nan caller Sora 2 to make AI videos - and nan results were axenic sorcery

The point is, babies this property usually can't locomotion yet, astatine slightest not that well. That rumor should've been nan first reddish flag. But AI is bully astatine playing connected our emotions, particularly erstwhile it comes to adorable, hilarious, aliases shocking content.

Even erstwhile it's not arsenic blatantly intolerable arsenic runway-walking infants, nan aforesaid norm applies. Maybe it's a video of animals pulling disconnected heroic stunts, performing suspiciously well-timed tricks, aliases conscionable acting ridiculous.

Take that viral clip of cats moving each complete a female successful bed astatine night, for instance. It tricked millions of group into reasoning it was genuine -- until personification revealed it was AI-generated.

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6. It's excessively retired location to beryllium true
Screenshot by Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

Are location devices to observe AI videos?

Yes. A fewer AI discovery devices exist.

The AI cybersecurity patient CloudSEK released a Deepfake Analyzer that scans video frames for signs of manipulation. In tests, it successfully flagged viral AI videos for illustration that clone polar carnivore rescue (it gave nan clip a 57% "likely AI" score).

Also: You tin effort Google's viral image editing instrumentality correct successful Search now - here's how

There are different services for illustration WasItAI aliases AI-or-Not that let you to upload frames aliases videos to cheque if they are AI-generated. These devices look for nan kinds of inconsistencies I talked astir above, but from my experience, they tin beryllium deed aliases miss.

For example, an wholly AI-generated Coca-Cola commercial fooled CloudSEK's detector into reasoning it was apt human-made.

What astir watermarks connected AI videos?

I didn't mention this arsenic a telltale motion because it should beryllium obvious. But if a video has a logo floating crossed it, for illustration a Sora watermark, it's AI. Sometimes, if you're caught up successful nan moment, they're easy to miss. But erstwhile you commencement looking for them, they really guidelines out.

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