The Rise of AI-generated Facebook Posts—Don’t Let the Spam Fool You.

How Are They Made?

Creating social media spam is easy—all it takes is practice and Stable Diffusion. Stability.ai’s platform has gained popularity due to its incredible technology, allowing users to create images so lifelike that it can be hard to distinguish them from real photos.

Of course, many other tools like DALL-E or Playground AI can be used to generate images. Regardless of the tool, the goal is the same: create pictures so realistic that the human eye can’t tell them apart from actual photographs.

The Issues with Generative AI

• Deepfakes and Misinformation: Fake images and videos can be used to scam people, spread misinformation, and manipulate social media algorithms—directly affecting trust, reach, and performance across platforms like Facebook, especially in Facebook marketing campaigns.
• Copyright and Intellectual Property: The rise of AI-generated art raises questions about copyright. Can an AI be considered the author of its creations? How do we protect the rights of artists whose work is used to train these models?

What Kind of Posts Are We Talking About?

Have you seen them? That elderly couple you saw on Facebook this morning might actually be an AI-generated scam designed to gather comments. While some say it’s mostly “boomers” who fall for these fakes, anyone can be deceived.

Our team took a deeper look to find the best examples of these manipulations. We began our search on Reddit, where users point out and critique these fabrications.

Here are just a few prime examples:

Shared on r/BoomersBeingFools

Shared on r/facebook

We also checked Twitter (X):

Image credit: @venturetwins

These are just a few examples, but there are many more out there. We must remain vigilant and take a closer look at what we see online to avoid falling for scams.

The Aftermath: Dead Internet Theory

According to this article, the "Dead Internet Theory" is a conspiracy theory that suggests the internet is now largely composed of bot activity and automatically generated content, manipulated by algorithms to control the population and reduce organic human interaction. Some believe these bots were intentionally created to manipulate algorithms and boost search results for commercial or political purposes.

While most people don’t subscribe to this theory, some internet users fear that it may come true, with AI and bots becoming more prevalent each day.

Redditors discussing the rise of online bots.

How to Spot AI-Generated Images: 5 Tips for 2024

1. Extra Fingers, Toes, or Teeth

One of the easiest ways to spot AI-generated images is by counting body parts. Many AI images feature extra fingers, toes, or teeth.

2. Blurry or Painting-Like Textures

Plasticine-like wrinkles, sharp lines, or blurry textures are often clear signs of AI-generated content.

3. Deformed Text

AI struggles with letters. If the text appears warped, blurry, or nonsensical, there’s a high chance the image is AI-generated.

4. Blurry Backgrounds

This is especially common on sites like This Person Does Not Exist. The person in the image may look fine, but the background often appears blurry or vague, lacking specific detail.

5. Look at the Details

At first glance, an AI image may seem normal. But upon closer inspection, accessories, ornaments, or backgrounds might appear distorted or unnatural. If something looks off, you’re probably looking at AI.

Worried You're Dealing with a Fake Image?

Spot Fake Pictures with lenso.ai

Lenso is an AI-powered reverse image search tool that can identify identical and similar images in seconds, helping to flag AI-generated content.

How It Works:

Faces

If you upload a face to lenso.ai and it returns vaguely similar images of different people, all appearing AI-generated, it’s likely that the original image is AI as well.

Suspect it's AI? Test it Out:

1. Download a picture from thispersondoesnotexist.com, a website filled with AI-generated images.
2. Visit lenso.ai and upload the image on the main page.
3. The results should show many similar faces, all AI-generated.

Examples of other AI-generated faces.

*Available in selected regions.

Clothes, Buildings, and More

Most AI-generated images return results from other AI-generated sources. To test it, simply upload an AI-created image and check the sources. Often, the results will indicate the image you uploaded is AI-generated too.

Remember: These tips won’t always work, so trust your instincts, use common sense, or consult online forums if you’re unsure whether an image is AI-generated.