Study: AI-Generated White Faces Perceived as More Real Than Human Ones

Researchers Warn of Potential Real-World Consequences of AI Bias

AI-generated faces, particularly those of white individuals, are often perceived as more real than actual human faces, according to a study published in the Psychological Science journal.
The study found that 66% of AI images of white faces were identified as human, compared to 51% for real images.
The phenomenon, termed 'hyperrealism', does not extend to images of people of color, likely due to AI models being trained predominantly on images of white individuals.
The study warns that this bias could have real-world consequences, ranging from influencing elections to finding missing children.
Researchers have developed a machine-learning system capable of detecting whether images are real or AI with 94% accuracy, significantly outperforming human accuracy.