Artificial intelligence is everywhere \u2014 on your phone, in the apps you use and in everyday transactions. But the rise of generative AI, which can create images and video that appear authentic, has sparked national concern. So how can someone tell what is real?<\/p>\n
News4JAX I-TEAM investigator John Asebes set out to find out.<\/p>\n
Testing the detectors<\/p>\n
News4JAX used ChatGPT to generate a photo of Asebes holding the Stanley Cup \u2014 then ran it through three AI detector sites to see if artificial intelligence could spot its own work.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe face looks transplanted,\u201d Asebes said.<\/p>\n
The detectors, however, didn\u2019t all agree on whether the image was real or fake. Two flagged it as likely AI-generated. One called it \u201cuncertain.\u201d That inconsistency became a pattern.<\/p>\n
For transparency, each tool\u2019s score was recorded and compared across platforms \u2014 and against real photos known to be genuine. A photo of Asebes with News4JAX reporter Andrea Snody, confirmed to be real, was also run through the same detectors. For the most part, the tools indicated the image appeared real \u2014 though none would give it a perfect score. ChatGPT also suggested it was more than likely real but stopped short of certainty.<\/p>\n
The bottom line: detectors help, but they don\u2019t always deliver a clean yes or no.<\/p>\n
When uncertainty has real stakes<\/p>\n
The stakes get higher when the subject isn\u2019t a lighthearted Stanley Cup photo. Consider the conversation surrounding Sen. Mitch McConnell\u2019s health. McConnell had not been publicly seen for some time. He was hospitalized in June after a fall. His office released a photo of McConnell at a rehabilitation center in early July, then another later that month. Those photos sparked debate over whether the images were real \u2014 or AI-generated as part of an effort to conceal his declining health.<\/p>\n
News4JAX ran those same images through the same AI detectors \u2014 and got inconsistent results. One site said it wasn\u2019t sure. Another said one of the photos was probably AI-generated. A third concluded both photos were most likely real.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re trusting whoever is pushing out that image, even if it is associated with an official account,\u201d one source said. \u201cWe already know, for instance, that politicians on their official accounts have put out AI-generated media, and sometimes they disclose that, other times they don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Expert weighs in<\/p>\n
News4JAX spoke with AI expert Dr. Josh Gellers, Dean of Professional and Lifelong Learning at the University of North Florida, to talk about how society is grappling with the rapid expansion of generative AI.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like in this conversation, we\u2019re just scratching the surface on AI, and then simultaneously, the world is just scratching the surface of how big AI is going to be,\u201d Asebes said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t fully grappled with the magnitude of changes that this is going to cause society,\u201d Gellers said.<\/p>\n
Gellers said that reflection needs to happen at every level.<\/p>\n
\u201cOrganizations, institutions, and individuals should really be thinking about as they contemplate how much we want AI to be infused in our everyday lives,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
And the risk isn\u2019t theoretical. Generative AI already landed one local business owner in hot water after an AI-generated photo of Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence resulted in a letter from the NFL.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople have a right to retain their own image and likenesses under the law,\u201d the source said. \u201cAnd someone could potentially threaten their livelihood, their reputation, because they are putting something out there in the world that\u2019s not real.\u201d<\/p>\n
Florida fights back with new laws<\/p>\n
Florida has seen the consequences of AI misuse firsthand. Brooke Curry, daughter of former Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, fought back after someone posted an AI-generated fake nude photo of her without her consent.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to go through that to really understand the trauma it brings, and that was probably the hardest part \u2014 people not understanding behind closed doors how it affects you,\u201d Brooke Curry said.<\/p>\n
Brooke\u2019s Law, passed in June 2025, requires online platforms to remove AI-generated sexually explicit images of a person without their consent after receiving a valid request from the victim.<\/p>\n
Beyond Brooke\u2019s Law, Florida has passed additional generative AI-related measures, including making AI-generated child sexual abuse material illegal and requiring disclaimers on certain AI-altered political ads.<\/p>\n
Florida lawmakers also considered an Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights. It passed the Senate but ultimately failed to advance in the House.<\/p>\n
What you can do<\/p>\n
Gellers said it\u2019s important for individuals to stay engaged as AI continues to spread into nearly every corner of daily life.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s being infused in so many different aspects of life \u2014 the public sector, the private sector, our personal lives, education, religion and so on \u2014 that it\u2019s very difficult to envision it all going away instantly,\u201d Gellers said. \u201cAnd yet we still need to maintain our sense of personhood, humanity, and think about places where we absolutely do not want AI to be involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
If something online looks off, don\u2019t rush to share it. When in doubt, think before you click.<\/p>\n
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