How to Tell Whether an Image or Video Was AI-Generated

May 2026 · AI media detection · AICheck365

A comprehensive guide to identifying AI-generated images, from metadata analysis to visual hints. Covers EXIF, XMP, and C2PA.

Signals to Check

The browser version reads source signals preserved in the original file instead of judging only by pixels. Video files add container metadata, SEI markers, file-name hints, and sampled frame watermark checks.

• C2PA / Content Credentials / JUMBF
• EXIF, XMP, PNG tEXt, PNG caBX and workflow JSON
• MP4, MOV and M4V metadata, AIGC labels, SEI marker and file-name hints
• Sampled video frames for invisible watermark and visible corner watermark checks

Limits

Social-media transcoding, screenshots, screen recordings, editing exports, and metadata cleaners can remove many signals. No signal found does not prove the file is human-made.

Privacy and Performance

Images and videos are analyzed locally in the browser. Video frame extraction lazy-loads ffmpeg.wasm and can take longer for large files.

Next Step

This guide explains how to use readable signals from the original file to assess AI origin, and why some files lose those signals. The browser version reads source signals preserved in the original file instead of judging only by pixels. Video files add container metadata, SEI markers, file-name hints, and sampled frame watermark checks.

Social-media transcoding, screenshots, screen recordings, editing exports, and metadata cleaners can remove many signals. No signal found does not prove the file is human-made.