Artificial intelligence has become increasingly skilled at creating realistic human images, making it harder than ever to distinguish between real photographs and AI-generated deepfakes.

Psychologist Dr Clare Sutherland from the University of Aberdeen is researching whether people can be trained to identify images created by artificial intelligence. As part of the study, she compares real photographs with AI-generated faces to understand how humans recognise digital fakes.

In a demonstration, Sutherland presents two large images: one showing the face of an Australian academic involved in an international research project, and another created entirely by artificial intelligence.

The challenge highlights a growing concern in the digital world. As AI image generation technology improves, fake faces and manipulated content are becoming increasingly convincing, creating challenges for online trust, journalism, and identity verification.

Researchers are now investigating whether training and education can help people develop better skills for detecting AI-generated content.

Before revealing the results of their research, Sutherland and her team encourage people to take part in their test and see how accurately they can identify which images are real and which are generated by machines.