AI vs. Human: Why We’re Worse at Telling Them Apart
3/14/2025 by
A few years ago, it was easy to laugh at those viral "obvious fakes" , blurry deepfake videos, clunky AI-generated images, and bots posting broken sentences.
Not anymore.
Today, no one’s immune—not even tech-savvy professionals. Studies show that even younger generations who grew up online are being fooled by AI-generated content. Whether it’s a fabricated news report, a fake political speech, or a doctored image, AI is blurring the lines between what’s real and what’s not, and most people can’t tell the difference.
And it’s only getting harder.
The best way to stay ahead? Know how AI works by seeing it in action.
How AI Fooled an Entire Audience in 30 Minutes
At Cyber Zero, Synim Selimi—Co-founder of AldAstra Labs—demonstrated just how easy it is to fool an audience.
In under 30 minutes, using basic AI tools, he created a completely fabricated timeline of the 2020 U.S. elections.
An AI-edited image of an photo from vote counting HQ
Fake emails suggesting voter fraud, altered government documents, a convincing audio recording of political leaders. None of it was real.
The audience was stunned. If one person could create this in minutes, what could a large, organized campaign do?
Why Even Experts Fall for AI
So, why do people (even experts!) keep falling for AI-generated content?
It’s not because we’re careless, it’s because our brains aren’t wired to detect it.
Humans rely on mental shortcuts, patterns we expect to see. AI content mimics these patterns but avoids human mistakes. While a human might fumble words or miss small details, AI content is too smooth, making it feel more believable.
And there’s confirmation bias - if AI-generated content confirms what we already believe, we trust it without questioning.
How to Tell What’s AI and What’s Not
If you want to protect yourself from AI-generated misinformation, understanding how it works is the first step.
Here’s how to start:
- •Look for Perfection
AI-generated content is often too polished. Real-life is messy, if something looks flawless, question it. - •Watch the Details
AI struggles with fine details like hands, reflections, and background objects. - •Fast-Moving Video
AI has a hard time rendering motion. In AI-generated videos, fast-moving objects are often blurry or have strange, unrecognizable forms. - •Cross-Check Quickly
Use tools like Glaze and AI or Not to verify images and text.
As Synim’s demo proved, speed matters—and AI works fast, so be faster in questioning what you see.
Knowing AI Is Your Best Defense
AI isn’t going away. It’s only getting smarter, and harder to detect.
But the solution isn’t to fear it. It's to understand it.
At AldAstra, we’re not just building AI, we’re making it easier to see how it works. Our ML Apps show how AI operates behind the scenes. We document every step of our process, including how our work gets acquired.
Next time you see a viral headline or a leaked document, ask yourself:
Is this learning and adapting, or is it just pretending?
