An AI image checker that shows its work
Most tools return a single percentage and leave you to guess what it means. An "87% AI" label does not say whether the generator signed the file, whether a prompt was found in the metadata, or whether a model simply thinks the pixels look synthetic. Those are very different levels of certainty, so this AI image checker keeps them apart:
- Content Credentials: a cryptographically signed record. If it says an AI model produced the image, the question is answered.
- Metadata: text fields written by the software that saved the file. Generator names and prompts are strong hints; camera fields are weak hints.
- Detector model: a statistical judgement from the pixels. Useful when everything else has been stripped, but never certain.
The verdict at the top follows the strongest evidence available. The list of reasons below it tells you exactly what was found.
How to use the AI image checker
- Drop an image onto the box, click it to choose a file, or press Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on a Mac) to paste a copied image.
- To check an image on a web page, copy the image address and paste it into the link field. Some sites block other pages from reading their images; in that case save the image and drop the file instead.
- Wait a moment. The first check downloads the detection model (about 22 MB) and stores it in your browser, so later checks are almost instant.
- Read the verdict, then open "Show details" to see the signer, software, camera data and exact model score.
- Press "Check another image" to clear everything and start over.
What each AI image check result means
Credentials found with an AI step
The file contains a C2PA manifest whose actions include a "trained algorithmic media" source, or a composite with AI-generated parts. ChatGPT, Gemini, Adobe Firefly and Microsoft Designer downloads usually look like this. You will see the name of the tool and the organisation that signed the claim.
Credentials found without an AI step
Some cameras and editors sign every image they save. A signed capture from a camera with no later AI step is good evidence for a real photo, as long as the signature validates.
Generator named in metadata
Fields such as Software, CreatorTool or the IPTC Digital Source Type mention a generator, or a PNG file carries a Stable Diffusion prompt or ComfyUI workflow. Metadata is not signed, so someone could fake it, but people rarely add AI labels to a real photo.
Only the model score
When the file is clean, the result depends on the model. The model gives an AI score from 0 to 100. At 80 or above the verdict is "Likely AI-generated", at 25 or below it is "Likely a real photo", and in between it says "Not sure". The score is a ranking, not a probability: the bands are set from our test set so that very few real photos land in the AI band. The accuracy report shows how often each band is right for the generators we test.
Quick manual checks to add to any AI image check
A detector is fast, but your own eyes still catch things it misses. Zoom in and look for:
- Text and logos: letters that melt into shapes, signs in no real language, brand marks that are almost right.
- Hands, teeth and ears: much better than a year ago, but extra knuckles, merged fingers and mismatched earrings still appear.
- Physics: shadows that point different ways, reflections that do not match, hair that passes through glasses.
- Background crowds and patterns: faces that dissolve, tiles or bricks that warp, repeated objects.
- Too-perfect lighting: a studio glow on a supposedly candid phone snap.
None of these is proof on its own. Several together, plus a high model score, make a strong case.
When an AI image checker cannot help much
Be careful with these situations:
- Screenshots keep only the pixels, at screen resolution, often with interface elements around them.
- Images from social media and chat apps lose their metadata and are heavily recompressed. See the AI picture detector page for platform-specific tips.
- Real photos edited with AI tools, such as generative fill or object removal, are partly generated. A single score cannot express "real photo, AI-edited sky".
- Brand-new generators that came out after the model was trained may slip through until the next model update.
Private AI image checking
Many people check images of themselves, their family, a date, or a document. Uploading those to an unknown server is a real privacy cost. This checker processes the image entirely in your browser using WebAssembly. The page downloads the model and the credential reader once; your image is never sent anywhere, and no scan result is stored or published.