How to Play Real or AI?

What is Real or AI?

Real or AI? is a free online game that challenges you to distinguish between real photographs and AI-generated images. Each round shows you two images side by side — one is a genuine photo and the other was created by an AI model like Stable Diffusion, DALL-E 3, or Midjourney. Your job is to pick the AI image before time runs out.

As AI image generation improves rapidly, telling real from fake is becoming harder than ever. This game sharpens your visual detection skills while being genuinely fun and competitive.

How to Play

1. 1
   Look at both images — Two images appear side by side. One is a real photograph, the other is AI-generated.
2. 2
   Pick the AI image — Tap or click the image you think was generated by AI. On desktop, you can also use keyboard shortcuts (arrow keys or 1/2).
3. 3
   Beat the clock — You have 3 seconds to decide. The timer bar shows how much time you have left. Answer quickly for bonus XP!
4. 4
   Build your streak — Get consecutive correct answers to build a streak. One wrong answer and it's game over. How far can you go?

Scoring & XP

Tips for Spotting AI-Generated Images

• •Check hands and fingers — AI models often struggle with the correct number of fingers or natural hand poses.
• •Look at text and writing — Any text in AI images tends to be garbled, misspelled, or nonsensical.
• •Examine backgrounds — AI images may have blurry, inconsistent, or surreal background details that don't quite make sense.
• •Watch for symmetry — AI tends to make things too symmetrical or too perfect, especially in faces and architecture.
• •Notice textures — Hair, fur, fabric, and other fine textures can look overly smooth or have strange patterns in AI images.
• •Trust your gut — If something feels "off" about an image even though you can't pinpoint why, that instinct is often correct.

Frequently Asked Questions