Answer: proving it is not AI
How to prove an image is not AI generatedYou cannot prove a negative from the picture; keep originals and process files
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
You cannot prove a negative from the final picture alone. Keep the original camera or project files and your working steps, and date them. Content Credentials from capture can help if attached. A TimeBind dates exact files; it does not show an image is not AI.
Why the final image is not enough
Detectors, reverse image search and visual checks can raise or lower suspicion, but none of them proves an image was not made by AI, and some real photos are wrongly flagged (see are AI detectors accurate? and how to tell if an image is AI generated). The more convincing case is a trail that shows how the work came about.
For a photo, that means the original camera file, such as a RAW file, plus other frames from the same session. For art, it means layered project files, sketches, work-in-progress exports and a screen recording if you made one. If your camera or software attaches Content Credentials, keep the file with the label intact and check it with the Content Credentials checker; labels can be stripped, so their absence proves nothing. EXIF data is a clue only (see can photo metadata be faked?). Our blog post on how to prove a photo is not AI goes into more detail.
Dating the trail
Date the trail as you go. A TimeBind records a SHA-256 fingerprint of each exact file and a time. The fingerprints are made in your browser and the files are not uploaded. It shows each file existed no later than its recorded time and still matches, so a sequence of dated drafts and originals shows the order in which they existed.
It does not detect AI and it does not show the final image is not AI generated, or that you are the author. It supports your account of how you made the work; it does not settle it.
First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.
Frequently asked questions
Can anything prove an image is not AI generated?
Nothing proves it from the final picture alone. Original camera files, layered project files and dated working steps make a stronger account than any detector score.
Do Content Credentials prove a photo is real?
They can record how a file was captured or edited if the label is present and verifies. They can be stripped, and a missing label proves nothing.
What should a photographer keep?
The original RAW or camera file, other frames from the same session, and the edited exports, ideally dated as you go.
Does a TimeBind show an image is not AI?
No. It shows that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches. It does not detect AI or show authorship.
Sources
- TimeBinder, How to prove a photo is not AI.
- TimeBinder, What are Content Credentials (C2PA)?
Related guides and tools
- Verify an AI-generated photo of an event in 5 stepsA free mini-course: the claim and source, a pause, the original and other evidence, clues, and a dated record. No checker can reliably tell a real photo from an AI-generated one.
- How to prove a photo is not AIA longer guide for photographers
- How to tell if an image is AI generatedClues, and their limits
- Are AI detectors accurate?Why a detector score is not a verdict
- Content Credentials checkerInspect a file’s label in your browser
- How to prove when a photo was takenWhat to keep, and what it shows
- All answersShort answers to common file-proof questions
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.
First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. See pricing.