TimeBinder

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Free quiz: takes about 3 minutes

Real or AI?Can you spot the AI photo?

TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes. Ten side-by-side photo pairs. One of each pair is AI.

Your score is worked out in your browser. Real photos are public-domain or CC0. The AI images were made for this quiz and show no real person.

Pick the AI photo in each pair

Tap the photo you think is AI-generated. You will see the answer and a tip straight away.

Takes about 3 minutes. Your score is worked out in your browser and is not tied to your name.

Ten rounds. Two photos each. One is AI.

Each round shows two photos of the same kind of thing. One is a real photograph. The other was generated by AI. Pick the one you think is AI, then see what gave it away.

  • Real photos are public-domain or CC0 pictures from Wikimedia Commons.
  • The AI images were made for this quiz. No real person appears in any of them.
  • Sides are shuffled every time you play.

Can people tell real photos from AI images? The short answer

Often not. In a September 2026 study of more than 500 consumers, only 17% correctly picked the AI-generated ad out of ten, even though half said they felt confident (reported by Mashable Middle East). In an Auros.ai survey reported by RetailBiz, only 20% of people correctly called a real, AI-enhanced coffee mug photo real; 62% thought it was entirely AI.

Eyes can’t reliably tell. What can help is a fingerprint recorded when a file was made: it shows which file is the original and that it is unchanged.

Want another round? This short Real or AI challenge shows four images, then the reveal.

Real or AI Challenge: Can You Spot the AI Image? (38 seconds). All four images in the video are AI-generated.

Five clues to look for, and why none is proof

These are the habits that showed up in the quiz. They are worth knowing, but each one fails often enough that you should never settle a dispute on them.

  1. Too perfect. Flawless light, flawless reflections, every seed or droplet evenly spaced. Real photographers and studios can produce perfect pictures too.
  2. Repetition. The same swirl, leaf or window repeated with tiny variations. Look at the pasta, the cake icing and the water droplets.
  3. Text and logos. Letters that read almost right, a missing “Happy Birthday” or an invented brand name. Newer tools are improving fast.
  4. Details that do not follow the structure. A lattice on a tower that does not line up with the floors, a stem that curls like a twig.
  5. Missing mess. No clutter, no people, no building on the far shore. Real places are untidy.

All five get weaker once an image is cropped, filtered, compressed and re-shared, which is how most people see images. The most-liked case in our research ran the other way: a real photo of leftover spaghetti had 172,894 likes on X because people said it looked like AI.

If a photo matters, keep a record of the original

When a photo is disputed, an argument about how it looks goes nowhere. A better question is whether you can show the exact original and when it existed.

  1. Keep the original file untouched. Do not edit or re-save it. Work on copies.
  2. Make a TimeBind when you take or finish it. Your browser makes the SHA-256 fingerprint, and the file stays on your device. TimeBinder records the fingerprint with a time on the Bitcoin blockchain.
  3. Keep the file and the Proof of Time Certificate together.
  4. Check later with the file comparison checker. A copy that still matches is the same file. One that does not match is a different file.
Make a TimeBind: first one free →

First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.

What a TimeBind shows, and what it does not. It shows that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and that a copy shown later still matches its fingerprint. It does not show who made the file, who owns it, that its contents are true, or whether AI was used to make or edit it. This is general information, not legal advice.

Image credits and licences

Every real photo is public domain or CC0, which permits modification and reuse. Each AI image was generated by TimeBinder for this quiz and is paired with the real photo of the same subject. Photos were cropped to a 4:3 frame. No real person is shown.

The real photographs used in the Real or AI? quiz
SubjectReal photo sourceLicencePhotographer / uploader
A plate of bacon spaghettiWikimedia CommonsCC0Fumikas Sagisavas
A cheeseburgerWikimedia CommonsPublic domainRenee Comet (Photographer)
A pigeonWikimedia CommonsCC0Laurel Wreath of Victors
A swan with a cygnetWikimedia CommonsCC0Hobbyfotowiki
A tiger lying on grassWikimedia CommonsCC0Joselodos
A rosette birthday cakeWikimedia CommonsCC0Tim-desser
An acoustic guitarWikimedia CommonsCC0PublicDomainPictures.net: Lilla Frerichs
An enamel mugWikimedia CommonsCC0Ryan Holloway hollowaykryan
A mountain lake in autumnWikimedia CommonsCC0Aleksandra Boguslawska aleksandraboguslawska
A curved white office towerWikimedia CommonsCC0Joel Filipe joelfilip
A dish of apples, a pear and orangesWikimedia CommonsCC0Daderot

For a shorter, pets-only practice test, try the free Real or AI? pets quiz. It puts a real cat or dog photograph next to an AI-generated one of the same kind. It cannot tell you whether any other file is AI-made.

Real or AI? quiz: FAQ

How does the Real or AI? quiz work?

You get ten rounds. Each shows two photos of the same kind of thing, such as a plate of pasta or a mountain lake. One is a real photograph and one was generated by AI. Tap the one you think is AI, see which was which, read what gave it away, and get a score and a result you can share.

Where do the real photos come from?

They are public-domain or CC0 photographs from Wikimedia Commons, listed with the photographer and licence in the image credits table on this page. The AI images were generated for this quiz from text descriptions and reference photos. No real person appears in any image.

Can people really tell AI images apart by looking?

Often not. In a September 2026 study of more than 500 consumers, only 17% correctly picked the AI-made ad from a lineup of ten, though half felt confident. In an Auros.ai survey, only 20% correctly said a real, AI-enhanced coffee mug photo was real, and 62% thought it was entirely AI. Clues like perfect lighting or garbled text help, but they are hints, not proof.

Does TimeBinder tell me whether an image is AI-made?

No. A TimeBind does not tell you how a file was made, who made it or whether it is true. It shows that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and that a copy you hold still matches it. That is useful when you can say “here is the original, recorded when it was made”.

Do you store my score or answers?

Your score is worked out in your browser. This page sends a few anonymous events to our analytics, such as the quiz being finished with a score band, never your name or email.

How can I show my own photo is the original?

Keep the original file unedited, and make a TimeBind of it when you take or finish it. Later, a copy that still matches the fingerprint is the same file, and the record shows it existed no later than the recorded time. It does not show who took the photo. Read how to prove a photo is not AI for the honest limits.

Why did a real photo get called AI?

It happens a lot. A post about leftover spaghetti that held its shape passed 170,000 likes in October 2026 because people said the photo looked like AI. When real photos look fake, the only strong answer is the original file and where it came from.

Related guides and tools

Date the original before it gets copied

Add a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes: a dated, checkable record of the exact file you hold.

  1. Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
  2. Add your files. They stay on your computer.
  3. Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.
Open TimeBinder →

First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. See pricing.

Related glossary entries: AI slop and deepfake detection.