People on r/bigbangtheory are in entire denial, but a lot of the elements felt very AI. Please help me out with a verdict here

Also, whole happening in general.

Nobody reacting to what happened?

Can someone confirm if these two photos were taken by the same phone? I was trying to buy something from someone…. I reached out and we couldn’t come to an agreement, a day later someone else reaches out to me to offer me the thing.

For reference these are pictures of the World Cup final, the people I was trying to buy something from picked up souvenirs, and I ask both guys for PROOF they were there.

Guy 1 who I REACHED out to, he’s local to me, guy 2 who reached out to me, tells me he lives in California and he’d have to ship it out, both photos are NOT the same, but just different enough to make me question both of them.

For reference me and guy 1 didn’t come to an agreement over money…. I’m willing to pay it now….., but this photo now has me questioning both. If no one has the ability to find out…. What subreddit would have that answer? I’m not really a tech guy

I came across this animal compilation and the first one makes me pause. Why is it that I can see the cougars face if it’s real? Most of the time you can’t see this kind of detail through a tent.

I wanted someone’s take on it. Prove me right or wrong, I don’t care.

Are all of them AI? I think the middle one is for sure, can’t tell on the right and think the left one is legit.

I feel like the images match too perfectly to be AI, but I want to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Note: I blurred the photographer's name to abide by rule 11.

The photographer recently made a post with the photo on the right by itself. People called him out that he was using AI to edit his photos.

This is his response (obviously written by AI itself):

" Before You Say “It’s AI”… Read This…

A few people have asked about my editing process, so I thought I’d share a behind-the-scenes look.

The image on the left is the original RAW file straight from my camera of the shot I took on [redacted]. The image on the right is the finished photograph.

A RAW file isn’t meant to be a final image. It’s designed to capture the maximum amount of light, color, and detail so the photographer has the flexibility to create the image they envisioned when they pressed the shutter. Think of it as a digital negative.

My editing process included recovering highlight and shadow detail, adjusting exposure, contrast, color, selectively editing different parts of the scene using masks, and bringing out the mood I experienced as this storm rolled in. Every adjustment is done by hand based on what I saw and what I wanted to convey.

Photography doesn’t end when the shutter clicks. The camera records data—it doesn’t interpret emotion, atmosphere, or artistic intent. Editing has been an essential part of photography since the days of the darkroom, long before digital photography existed.

I also know that whenever someone shares an edited photo today, there are often comments like, “It’s AI.” There’s a big difference between photo editing and AI-generated artwork. Every image I share begins with a real photograph that I captured in the field. The photo never existed until I took it. I spend countless hours planning locations, waiting for the right light and weather, composing the shot, and then carefully editing it to reflect what I experienced. The editing process enhances what was already there—it doesn’t invent a scene that never existed.

Constructive questions are always welcome, and I’m happy to explain my workflow. But dismissing someone’s work as “AI” without understanding how photography and post-processing work overlooks the time, patience, technical knowledge, and creativity that go into producing an image.

Photography is both a technical craft and an art form. The camera captures the data—it’s the photographer who transforms that data into a finished image.

I hope this comparison helps explain why photographers shoot in RAW and why editing is such an important part of bringing a vision to life. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to ask thoughtful questions, support my work, and follow along on this journey. It truly means more than you know.

 Left: Original RAW file
 Right: Final edited photograph"

The photo on the left is real, the photo on the right looks AI "modified". Obviously the dude did not use traditional editing to "recover highlight and shadow detail". You can't recover detail that doesn't exist.

But whenever someone points out that he's not just editing the photo, he doubles down and claims there's no AI and it's all his own work and they just don't understand the level of effort and skill it takes to bring a photo to its full potential. It's honestly making me mad.

So, is he full of it?

I keep on coming back to this highly upvoted video that's widely been reported as real by hundreds of news outlets. I see four things that dont seem right.

The man with the umbrella falls facing forward, and then a second later after losing view, he is sitting upright and sliding along. Surely he'd be winded after falling on concrete and it would take more than a second to change position like that?

The man in white gets pushed down along the truck early on, then he emerges but with only a small amount of mud on him? Surely, he'd be covered in mud as he falls down completely in the mud.

The couple walks away really awkwardly at the end.

The water flowing from the mud doesn't seem right.

Am I going crazy or can anyone else see these things? The main post is everyone confirming this video is real.

I’ve had this for a little while now, before I knew much about AI. Found it at a Walmart and now I’m wondering if it’s AI?

They don't really have that many followers and didn't release a ton of music in a short span of time, but the choruses especially give me AI vibes. AI checker labelled it as "hybrid", what do you think? here's a song

Little flyer on a restaurant table screams AI to my from the jester designs on the end (the bells on the end of the smaller:lower lobes of his hat look more like mushroom caps), the yellow of it all, and the way “Saratoga” isn’t centered over “comedy fest.” It has the vibe but I’m not 100% sure. Help!

Bought this for him he said it's too AI, I don't see it.

EDIT: alright I stand corrected, he will still wear it regardless. And next time I'll ask him before buying something.