Which Image is Real? Teenagers in Norway

Below are 4 images.

Only one is real. I know this because I took it myself.

My photo is of a group of teenagers who were waiting for the ferry in Hovedøya, Norway.

One of teens asked if I would take their picture. I thought they were going to give me one of their cell phones to use, but, no. They just wanted me to take a photo of them using my mirrorless camera 🙂

The other 3 images are AI-generated. I created them using Ideogram.ai and ChatGPTChatGPT is an advanced language model developed by OpenAI, designed to understand and generate human... More.

Which one do you think is the real image? See the answer below!

The real image of the teens is:

Image #2

Some clues that give away the AI images:

👤 1. Facial Expressions and Posture

#2 (REAL):
There’s natural variation in how each person is standing, smiling, and holding their body. The expressions aren’t overly posed — some smiles are bigger, others more subtle, and their head angles differ just enough to feel unscripted.

AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is basically when computers get smart—really smart. Imagine if your c... More:

• #1 and #3 have faces that look a little too polished and similar — like variations of the same base model.
• #4 has that slightly glazed-over look common in AI faces, with skin that’s a bit too even and smooth.

---

✌️ 2. Hand Gestures and Fingers

#2:
All the peace signs and pointing fingers look correct. The fingers are naturally shaped, spaced, and sized — no missing or fused fingers, no odd angles or stubs.

AI:

• #1 and #4 have hand gestures that seem just slightly off — particularly the peace signs, which look a little stiff or too symmetrical.
• #3 also shows some finger-width and alignment issues, especially with the leftmost person’s hand.

---

💇‍♂️ 3. Hair Texture and Detail

#2:
The hair textures vary in a very realistic way. Look at the boy second from the right — his curly hair includes frizz, variation, and a level of softness that’s hard to fake.

AI:

• #3 and #4 have hair that looks more like molded shapes than real strands. The curls are too tidy, too perfect, or too sharply defined.
• #1 shows some unnatural hair parting and a plastic-like sheen in spots.

---

🌿 4. Background and Lighting

#2:
The background includes a gravel path, water with natural reflection, trees on a hill, and bright, natural light casting realistic shadows. The lighting varies slightly across faces and clothes, just like it would in a real outdoor shot.

AI:

• #1 and #4 have backgrounds that look slightly over-smoothed or uniform — especially the foliage and sky, which lack natural gradient or depth.
• #3 features light that looks a bit too even, as if everyone is under a digital softbox instead of the real sun.

---

👕 5. Clothing and Texture

#2:
You can see realistic folds, slight wrinkles, and accurate fabric behavior in the shirts and pants — especially the pink pants, which show realistic bunching at the knee and waist.

AI:

• #1 and #3 have clothing that looks overly crisp or airbrushed, with textures that don’t always match how fabric bends.
• #4 has some suspicious blurring and unnatural curves at the shirt seams.

Hovedøya, Norway

Hovedøya is a small island off the coast of Oslo, Norway. There are no cars on the island. It’s largely a nature preserve with ruins from a medieval Norwegian Monastery. Take a quick tour of this beautiful island and learn more about it in this video from a local:

More From the Senior Tech Cafe ‘Real or AI?’ Challenge

You can check out our archive of ‘Real or AI?’