How can I tell if a video is AI-generated?

Watch the face first. AI-made and face-swapped videos often show skin that looks too smooth, blinking that feels off, lips that drift out of step with the words, glare on glasses that never moves, and shadows that fall the wrong way. Then trace where the clip came from before you trust it or share it.

Study the face

Researchers at the MIT Media Lab, who ran a public experiment on spotting deepfakes, point people to the face because that is where most video manipulation happens (MIT Media Lab, Detect DeepFakes). Their checklist, in plain terms:

Skin — cheeks and forehead too smooth or too wrinkly, or skin that looks older or younger than the hair and eyes.
Eyes and eyebrows — shadows that are missing or sit in the wrong place.
Glasses — no glare, too much glare, or glare that stays put when the head turns.
Facial hair and moles — a beard, mustache or mole that looks painted on.
Blinking — too little or too much.
Lips — mouth shapes that do not match the sounds.

Check hands, edges and movement

The FBI lists the same kind of tells for AI images and video: distorted hands or feet, unrealistic teeth or eyes, blurry or irregular faces, odd glasses or jewelry, wrong shadows, watermarks, lag, a voice that does not quite match, and movement that looks unnatural (FBI public service announcement, December 2024).

Slow it down

Play the clip at a slower speed and pause often, especially when the person turns their head, raises a hand near their face, or walks past something. Watch the background as well as the person: walls, door frames and lettering should stay steady while the camera moves.

Trace the source

Find the first account that posted it, and look at that account’s age and history.
Search for a longer or earlier version. A short clip cut from a longer one can change its meaning completely.
Check whether trusted news outlets or the person shown have said anything about it.
Give extra care to any clip that pushes you to send money, click a link, or share right away.

Keep the original

If the video matters to you, save the original file rather than a screen recording or a forwarded copy. Each re-save, screen capture and forward strips detail out of a video, and that detail is what a careful review examines.

How All Around REAL helps

All Around REAL is Your AI PI. Send us the original MP4. A REAL QUICK video review screens one clip for deepfake artifacts frame by frame and gives you a plain written result with a REAL Check. For a fuller case, DOSSIER reviews several short clips together with related audio, images and documents, and adds a Lead Investigator review. Every result is one of four clear findings, with the reasoning written out in plain English.

Start a review See pricing What a video review includes