Can you spot an AI image? Quiz shows how difficult identifying deepfakes has become.

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Updated on: July 17, 2026 / 7:41 AM PDT

/ CBS LA

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A recent survey by an identity verification company found that Americans' ability to distinguish real images from AI-generated deepfakes was about as accurate as a coin flip. CBS LA Consumer Investigator Kristine Lazar put that finding to the test and scored just three out of 12 on an AI detection quiz before learning what to look for."I've been a consumer investigator for nearly a decade, but I got an F when I tried to identify images and videos made with AI," Lazar said.Veriff, an online identity verification tool, created a quiz featuring side-by-side images and videos to test Lazar's ability to identify authentic and AI-generated content. Although she initially felt confident in her choices, she quickly discovered many of her assumptions were wrong."I thought he was the fakest-looking one there," Lazar said after learning that one of the people she believed was AI-generated was actually real.Overall, Lazar correctly identified only three of the 12 images and videos, a 33% accuracy rate.Raul Liive, Veriff's product director, said those results are consistent with what the company found when testing the public.