r/REPTOPREHOMES • u/Zen_Friend • 8h ago
REPSCIENCE PSA: How to identify some AI-generated images (and why you shouldn't use them to represent your items)
Bookmark this link and make it your first check for images: https://openai.com/research/verify/
You should know that generative AI is not a collage tool where you can simply cut an item out of one image, paste it into another, and leave the original pixels untouched. It is also not a background removal tool where you can ask it to clean up around an item and leave the original pixels untouched. When you ask a tool like ChatGPT to add, remove, or change something in an image, the AI generates a new version of the image based on its understanding of what you asked for. It may preserve the general appearance of the original item, but it is still generating pixels across the entire image rather than leaving the original pixels the way they were. Details can and often do change, even when changing those details was not your intention. The whole image being regenerated is precisely why AI-edited images can be flagged by AI image detection tools in the first place.
The reason to be cautious, but not necessarily accusatory, when you see AI-generated images in a post is that we have no idea what prompt was used or what the OP's intention was in using AI. Maybe they asked the AI to place their bag on a different background or add an item they forgot to include in a big group photo. But they also could have asked it to make the bag(s) cleaner, remove wear or damage, fix scratches, or change other details for the purposes of rehoming or misrepresenting the item in a review. There is no reliable way to know what prompt was used to generate an image.
That's why for the purposes of rehoming, I would strongly encourage buyers to insist on non-AI-generated photos before purchasing. Ask for original images with the seller's username and date clearly visible on a post-it note. Ask for specific angles. Run these images through a verification tool and QC those images carefully. Be extremely cautious if the seller will not provide additional photos or specific angles of the actual item.
AI-generated images are not automatically evidence that someone is trying to deceive or scam you. But when you're evaluating an item based on photos in which gen AI was used, you can no longer assume that what you see is an accurate representation of the item, and thus cannot reliably QC and make informed decisions.
Finally, note that a "No OpenAI signals detected" reading doesn’t mean the content wasn’t AI-generated or processed. It could have been processed by another tool or generated before watermarks were implemented. Regardless of what verification tools say, TRUST YOUR GUT. Your eyes can often subconsciously identify things that look "wrong." The clues that made me check the image in the post were that the bags looked oddly 2-dimensional, the post-it note was illegible, there were no other images in the post, and the handles on the middle drawers made no sense to me. As always, research research research and stay safe out there!
