ByDaniela Hurtado
Saturday, September 5, 2026 5:01PM
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HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) –As AI systems get more sophisticated, it’s getting harder to tell what’s real and what’s not, AI researchers told ABC13.
“It’s literally an arms race to try to stay ahead of what the next level of machinery can do,” AI researcher Jaclyn Ocumpaugh with the University of Houston said.
Ocumpaugh said that there are a few things you can look for that AI systems haven’t yet mastered, like natural-looking shadows or water.
“Shadows are things that you still might be able to spot with the human eye,” Ocumpaugh said. “(AI) hasn’t gotten the physics down yet. If you see water splashing, it doesn’t really look as real as you would think a real water splash would look like.”
According to Ocumpaugh, in AI images or videos with water, the liquid might move slower or splash higher than it would in real life. Ocumpaugh said those nuances can help you determine whether an image or video is real.
ABC News Visual Verification Producer Kerem Inal said it’s <a href="https://myappsplus.com/why-its-important-to-regularly-restart-your-router/” title=”Why it's important to regularly restart your router”>important to be vigilant and second-guess what you’re looking at.
If you think an image or video is AI, one tool you can use at home is an online reverse image search, Inal said.
Inal said a reverse image search can corroborate what you’re seeing if you find multiple angles of the image or video, or other pictures on the internet that verify it.
“I think it’s really tricky. It’s up to your judgment (to try) to understand what you’re seeing and (question) if it can be real,” Inal said.
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