The rapid flow of information and the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology have had a major impact on the spread of hoaxes, disinformation, and even deepfakes through AI-generated videos. With the help of AI, creating video content has now become much easier, requiring nothing more than a simple text prompt. The problem is, the increasingly realistic and lifelike quality of AI-made videos has deceived many users, making it difficult to distinguish between real videos and AI-generated ones.

But don’t worry, no matter how realistic AI-generated videos may seem, you can still tell them apart from real ones with a few key tips. There are several easy ways to differentiate AI videos from authentic footage that you need to know. Without further ado, let’s take a look at some practical ways to differentiate AI videos and real videos on TikTok!

Tips to Differentiate AI Videos and Real Videos on TikTok

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Here are several ways to differentiate between the two of those: 

1. Unnatural Movements and Expressions

One of the easiest ways to distinguish an AI-generated video is by paying close attention to movements and expressions in the content. Generative AI technology often struggles to produce human facial expressions and body movements that look completely natural and realistic. For instance, you might notice eyelids that rarely blink, a smile that appears stiff, or head movements that don’t align with the displayed emotional expression.

In some cases, you may also spot moments where parts of the face or hands move oddly. Such as floating unnaturally or even changing shape suddenly. If a video looks suspicious, focus on observing small details like lip synchronization while speaking, how the eyes respond to light, or body gestures when interacting with surrounding objects.

2. Inconsistent Lighting and Colors

One of the more subtle yet telling clues to identify an AI-generated video lies in its inconsistent lighting and color. AI videos often display confusing light sources, such as shadows that suddenly change direction or facial lighting that doesn’t match the background. For example, a person might appear to be lit by sunlight from the left side, yet the surrounding objects cast shadows as if the light were coming from the right.

In addition, pay attention to the color gradients used in the video. AI-generated content sometimes shows skin tones that shift between frames or background colors that appear “washed out” and unnatural. This often gives the impression of an unfinished or poorly rendered edited video.

3. Odd Number of Fingers or Unnatural Hand Shapes

One of the most common flaws found in AI-generated videos is the strange detailing of fingers or hands. Although generative AI technology has become increasingly advanced, most AI models still struggle to perfectly replicate human hands. When watching AI-made videos, you may often notice details such as hands with more than five fingers, or fingers fused together in a way that looks like melting wax.

4. Lip Sync Errors or Mismatched Voice and Mouth Movements

Another easily recognizable sign of an AI-generated video is the mismatch between lip movements and voice, also known as a lip sync error. AI usually cannot achieve perfect synchronization between spoken words and mouth movements on a character’s face in the video. The lips may appear to move too quickly, too slowly, or form different words than the ones being spoken. This often happens because AI models struggle to create smooth and accurate mouth movements, especially when the audio comes from a separate recording or is generated through text-to-speech.

5. Unsynced Audio and Video

One way to distinguish an AI-generated video from a real one is by observing how well the video aligns with its audio elements. AI models often struggle to match the timing between generated visuals and accompanying sounds, such as background music, footsteps, or environmental effects. Additionally, the tempo or mood of the audio often doesn’t match the video’s theme. For instance, upbeat music playing while body gestures appear slow or stiff.

6. Background Noise

The presence of unnatural background noise is another common indicator of an AI-generated video. Such videos often have audio that feels off: either too silent, overly clean, or strangely generic, as if pasted in. These background sounds are often looped with little variation, making them seem artificially added just to make the video feel “alive.”

7. Inauthentic and Invalid Video Information

Another way to spot an AI video is by checking the validity and authenticity of the information presented. AI-generated videos frequently insert misleading or non-authentic details, such as incorrect timestamps, locations, or contexts that don’t match the visuals. For example, a video might claim to take place in a specific country, but the details don’t align, like store signs, building architecture, or the language used, revealing inconsistencies.

Those are some ways to tell the difference between AI-generated videos and real ones on TikTok. By recognizing these signs, you can now avoid misinformation or hoaxes. Don’t forget to share this information with the people around you, so they won’t get trapped by misleading AI videos!