In today’s information ecosystem, just one image that finds its way to social media can shape public opinion within a few minutes. From “breaking news” photos of political unrest to emotional images of candidates in dramatic and overly exaggerated situations, visuals often travel faster than text. With the rise of generative AI tools, however, creating hyper-realistic but entirely fabricated images has become easier than ever. Anyone with access to a smartphone and internet data can generate images of all sorts, depending on prompts and intentions.

In September 2025, some photos of the Benue State governor, Hyacinth Alia, went viral. The viral claim said that the governor was constructing monumental statues of himself amid heightened insecurity and violence in the state, spotlighting the governor as being unconcerned and insensitive. Findings eventually showed that these photos were AI-generated, as fact-checked by NDRFactCheck here.

For journalists, fact-checkers, and everyday social media users, the challenge is no longer restricted to just verifying old photos taken out of context—it is identifying images that were never real to begin with.

This guide offers tips and verification methods for identifying five possible signs of AI-generated images, as well as advice for public evaluation.

Hyper-Realism That Feels “Too Perfect”

AI images often appear overly polished, cinematic, and free of natural imperfections. Real photographs would usually contain background clutter, uneven focus angles, and some environmental imperfections. If an image looks like a thumbnail or a snapshot from a movie scene rather than a spontaneous moment, especially during chaotic events, it is advised to question it.

Text in the Image Is Unreadable or Nonsensical

Most AI generative tools struggle with generating readable text inside images. Common signs usually include random letters on protest placards, misspelt names, incoherent slogans, and signs that look real briefly but collapse under closer inspection
If a viral political image shows a crowd holding signs with distorted or meaningless text, that’s a strong red flag.

Inconsistent Details in Background Elements

AI-generated images frequently break down in the background. You should check for repeated faces in crowds, warped architecture, floating objects, blended or melting shapes, distorted vehicle shapes, roadside stores, or street signs.
Natural crowd scenes are particularly revealing; you are able to identify distinct faces and get the geographical location by reading road signs. AI often replicates similar faces or produces distorted body proportions in distant figures.

Lighting and Shadows Don’t Match

In real photography, light is reflected consistently. AI-generated images often fail basic photography tests. Look out for multiple light sources that don’t align, shadows falling in different directions away from the image being shadowed, reflections that don’t match the object, and still faces lit differently within the same frame.

Verification experts often zoom in to inspect the shadow direction and reflection consistency.

Body Parts Don’t Look Right

One of the earliest, most persistent and noticeable flaws in AI-generated imagery involves the body parts, especially hands and fingers. AI-generated images usually present the body in an incorrect shape and size. Examples of distortions to look out for: extra hands and fingers, missing fingers, unnaturally aligned fingers, and awkward hand positions.

Although newer AI models have improved, hand distortions still appear frequently, especially in fast-moving viral images.

This happens because typical AI systems generate images by predicting pixel patterns based on the data they’re trained with. Complex anatomical details like hands are statistically harder to render in a consistent format.

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