Is it just me or have you been seeing a lot of images on Instagram recently that seem almost too perfect to be real? Well, guess what – you’re not crazy! Those images aren’t real, they are actually AI generated.
As I was scrolling through Instagram, I saved this image without a second thought. This post was actually supposed to be a round up of interiors I saved on Instagram this week for inspiration. However, when I did a reverse image source so I could credit the original creator, I discovered that this image is actually AI generated.
Learning that, I looked at the image more closely on my computer (rather than on my tiny phone screen). This image is certainly eye catching, but something does seem a bit off. Everything looks a little flat and the “sunlight” on the floor warps the image.
How can you tell if an image you see on Instagram is AI generated?
AI images tend to be whimsical and have a soft glow to them. Once you’ve recognized one image as AI generated, it’s easier to recognize others.
With that in mind, I decided to scroll through my other recently saved images on Instagram to see if I could identify more. The results shocked me!
I noticed this image had been shared by several large accounts, none of which acknowledged the image as being AI generated, and it has accumulated several hundred thousand likes on Instagram. How do I know this image is fake?
Look carefully at all of the objects on the counter. Can you definitively identify all of them? No. That is because most of them are not fully formed objects. Now look at the stove. AI struggles with things like knobs. That stove has approximately 6 burners (not all of them are completely formed), yet there are 11 knobs on the stove… yeah, that’s not real. AI also struggles with door handles. Look at the placement of the door handle in the picture. Normal door handles would be at around the same height as the counter; the one in this image is at least a foot higher than that. Another giveaway is the lines in an image. Look carefully at the details on the cabinets, stove, and countertops.
Have you ever seen a clawfoot tub like that before? I know in my last post I explained that you could make the most of a small space by putting furniture in front of cabinets you don’t open frequently, but this is taking it to an extreme! You would never be able to open any of those drawers with the tub there.
The longer you look at an AI generated image, the weirder it gets. I mean, what is going on with those vanity lights?
I’ve noticed that AI does a better job generating images of external architecture and gardens. However, it really struggles to create realistic sculptures. Take a close look at the one in the background of this image.
Here’s another picture of a stove with a ridiculous number of poorly formed knobs and a faucet that sprays onto the counter rather than into a sink.
Look at those bizarre palm trees and the columns on the porch. This image was being used to advertise a vacation giveaway that was almost certainly not real – just a ploy for Instagram followers.
This was another image that was being used to advertise a fake vacation giveaway.
Where should we draw the line?
If you want to create AI images as an art form, go for it. While fanciful and a bit odd at times, I think it is an intriguing and novel art form. However, I don’t think it is ethical to create AI images to advertise giveaways (real or fake) or vacation rentals for a place that does not exist. That is just a novel way to scam unsuspecting people.
All of the images above from Instagram had tens of thousands of likes. The ones advertising fake vacation rental giveaways had hundreds of thousands of likes and many comments from people longing to stay there.
A step into uncanny valley
In addition to AI images of interiors, a surge of AI images of humans – women in particular – are being uploaded to Instagram. This image was posted by an account self-described as dedicated to creating AI art, but many similar images are being shared with no recognition that they are AI generated. It’s creepy!
First we had to worry about comparing ourselves to filtered images and now we need to worry about comparing ourselves with images that aren’t real humans. Yikes.
This sort of art is a step too far into the uncanny valley if you ask me.
In the spirit of having some fun and experimenting with their utility for design, I tested out three different free AI image generators: Dezgo, DALL-E, and DeepAI.
The clear winner in terms of results and ease of use was Dezgo. Therefore, that is the one I created the most images with.
DALL-E
In my experience, DALL-E excelled at creating realistic landscapes, but struggled to create interior images, without glaring imperfections.
DeepAI
DeepAI generated images quickly, but they were a bit too stylized for my taste.
Dezgo
Like I mentioned above, I found Dezgo to be the most helpful. These are just a handful of the images I created. I found it to be pretty fun and sort of addicting.
It seems AI likes adding plants / greenery to images. Perhaps they are just a good cover for wonky elements of an image that would not converge well otherwise?
Window panes are another element that AI struggles to get right.
It’s always nice to have front doors without knobs…
So, you have a hot and a cold handle and a tap, what are the other two handles for? Also, are you getting letters delivered to your bathroom through that slot? There’s no door handle so you aren’t leaving through that door!
Any idea what that object hanging on the wall might be?
What to takeaway from this.
AI can be a helpful tool for generating images to give you inspiration for a project. I liked the color schemes and layouts in some of the images that were created because they were combinations I may not have thought of otherwise. It is also a great tool for creating fantasy images. It takes a bit of practice to finetune your prompts so that the simulator produces what you want it to generate.
However, be cautious of scams involving images that seem too fantastical to be true and try not to compare yourself or your home to these images. Those images are not real. Life is better with its imperfections.
As a bit of an experiment, I posted several of the AI images I generated on Pinterest last night and those images quickly surpassed most of my recent pins that linked back to my blog posts in terms of traffic. That intrigued me, but it was a small sample set. Therefore, it is difficult to discern whether that trend is significant. If I continue the experiment, I’ll share the results in another post.
What do you think of the influx of AI generated images on Instagram? Share your opinion in the comments.
Thank you for reading!
Sasha
