How to tell if an image is AI generatedNo single test is reliable; labels and clues are not proof

TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes.

The file stays on your device. Your browser makes a digital fingerprint of the file. TimeBinder records the fingerprint and the time, not the file.

Short answer

No test reliably shows whether an image was made by AI. Check any Content Credentials still attached, and search for an earlier copy. Visual tells and detectors are clues, not proof. A dated fingerprint shows this exact file existed no later than a recorded time. It does not detect AI or prove the scene was real.

This short video walks through five places to look when a picture seems off, and the honest catch that even careful checks can fail.

How to Spot AI Images: 5 Things to Check (49 seconds). Every image in the video is AI-generated.

What you can check, and what it cannot show

Start with what the file still carries. Content Credentials (the C2PA label) may say which tool signed the file and whether it was generated or edited. They only help if the label is still attached and you can check it. See what Content Credentials are, or inspect a file in your browser with the Content Credentials checker.

A reverse image search can show whether an earlier copy, or a very similar picture, already exists online. Camera EXIF and other metadata are weaker: they can be edited or stripped, and generated images can be given realistic-looking dates. For Date Taken specifically, see how to prove when a photo was taken.

Odd hands, text, or lighting can be a clue, and so can an AI detector score. Both miss generated images and can flag real photographs. Asking a chatbot whether a picture is real is not a check; see why a chatbot answer is not a check. For a longer walk-through, see how to prove a photo is not AI. The Real or AI photo quiz is practice for spotting common artefacts. It is not a tool for identifying generated media.

What a TimeBind adds, and what it does not

If the photograph is yours, keep the original file — preferably a camera original, not a screenshot or a copy sent through an app that re-encodes images. A TimeBind records a SHA-256 fingerprint of that exact file and a time, anchored to Bitcoin. The fingerprint is made in your browser; the file is not uploaded. It shows that this file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches. It does not detect AI, show who took the picture, or prove the scene was real.

Make a TimeBind: first one free →

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

Frequently asked questions

Can I use an AI image detector to be sure?

No. Detectors can miss generated images and can flag real photographs. Treat a score as a clue, not a verdict. See whether AI detectors are accurate.

If there are no Content Credentials, is the image AI?

No. Many real camera files have no C2PA label, and credentials can be stripped when a file is downloaded, cropped or re-uploaded.

If the EXIF Date Taken looks normal, is it a real photo?

Not necessarily. Date Taken and other metadata can be edited or added with free tools, including on a generated image.

Does a TimeBind prove a photo is not AI-generated?

No. A match shows the file is the same as the one you recorded. It does not detect AI and it does not prove the scene was real.

Sources

Content Authenticity Initiative and C2PA, Content Credentials and the C2PA specification.
TimeBinder, How to prove a photo is not AI.

Related guides and tools

Your file’s fingerprint, anchored to a global network secured by real electricity and cryptography.

Editing a file—including with AI—changes its fingerprint, not its existing network record.

How this works

Your file’s SHA-256 fingerprint, a short code worked out from its exact contents, is made in your browser, and the file itself stays on your device. A cryptographic commitment to that fingerprint, which may be combined with others, is then anchored in a block on the Bitcoin blockchain. Bitcoin is secured by proof of work: computers around the world spend real electricity to add each block, and changing an earlier block would mean redoing that work faster than the rest of the network. Until that block is confirmed, your proof is pending. Once the Bitcoin anchoring is confirmed, you can verify the proof against that recorded commitment. The confirmed record can then be checked; Pooled TimeBinds are checked through TimeBinder, while ASAP TimeBinds can also be checked independently. If you check the file later and its fingerprint still matches, that shows the file existed no later than the recorded time. The record doesn’t show who made the file, whether AI was used, or that its contents are true.

Your filestays on your device
FingerprintSHA-256
Network timestampon Bitcoin

Record a fingerprint of the file you rely on

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

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

Open TimeBinder →

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