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Media and Misinformation

This guide is a reference tool for students, staff, and faculty on the subject of media misinformation and disinformation

Verifying Multimedia Content

Artificial intelligence technologies for multimedia creation are having a huge impact on the media eco-system. When viewing multimedia information online it's essential that you approach the information critically. Investigate and find the original source if possible. Explore the context, and examine the metadata attached to that media.

Below are some tools and resources that can help you analyze and track AI created digital media content in the news.

IMPORTANT NOTE: At present there is no perfect way to detect AI created content. The tools here should be used thoughtfully, and with an awareness of their considerable limitations. This list is for informational purposes only. Tools listed in this guide are not recommended or endorsed by NYU Libraries.

 

Verifying Visual Information

A screenshot of an image of Ukrainian soldiers carrying a coffin through the streets being tested in the Google Lens image verification tool.

Caption: Searching for an image source with Google Lens.

Pro tip: If a reverse image search tool does not find an original source, or any similar images, this is not proof that an image was artificially created or altered, but it can be a red flag that the image is AI generated. You should always identify the original source of an image in any reporting. 

Verifying Video and Audio content

As AI and "deepfake" technologies evolve, tools for verifying audio and video content are being rapidly developed. These tools are very new and work imperfectly at this time. Use these tools thoughtfully and critically. Read more about these emerging verification tools here:

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