Artificial intelligence is everywhere — on your phone, in the apps you use and in everyday transactions. But the rise of generative AI, which can create images and video that appear authentic, has sparked national concern. So how can someone tell what is real?
News4JAX I-TEAM investigator John Asebes set out to find out.
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Testing the detectors
News4JAX used ChatGPT to generate a photo of Asebes holding the Stanley Cup — then ran it through three AI detector sites to see if artificial intelligence could spot its own work.
“The face looks transplanted,” Asebes said.
The detectors, however, didn’t all agree on whether the image was real or fake. Two flagged it as likely AI-generated. One called it “uncertain.” That inconsistency became a pattern.
For transparency, each tool’s score was recorded and compared across platforms — and against real photos known to be genuine. A photo of Asebes with News4JAX reporter Andrea Snody, confirmed to be real, was also run through the same detectors. For the most part, the tools indicated the image appeared real — though none would give it a perfect score. ChatGPT also suggested it was more than likely real but stopped short of certainty.
The bottom line: detectors help, but they don’t always deliver a clean yes or no.
When uncertainty has real stakes
The stakes get higher when the subject isn’t a lighthearted Stanley Cup photo. Consider the conversation surrounding Sen. Mitch McConnell’s health. McConnell had not been publicly seen for some time. He was hospitalized in June after a fall. His office released a photo of McConnell at a rehabilitation center in early July, then another later that month. Those photos sparked debate over whether the images were real — or AI-generated as part of an effort to conceal his declining health.
News4JAX ran those same images through the same AI detectors — and got inconsistent results. One site said it wasn’t sure. Another said one of the photos was probably AI-generated. A third concluded both photos were most likely real.
“You’re trusting whoever is pushing out that image, even if it is associated with an official account,” one source said. “We already know, for instance, that politicians on their official accounts have put out AI-generated media, and sometimes they disclose that, other times they don’t.”
Expert weighs in
News4JAX spoke with AI expert Dr. Josh Gellers, Dean of Professional and Lifelong Learning at the University of North Florida, to talk about how society is grappling with the rapid expansion of generative AI.
“I feel like in this conversation, we’re just scratching the surface on AI, and then simultaneously, the world is just scratching the surface of how big AI is going to be,” Asebes said.
“We haven’t fully grappled with the magnitude of changes that this is going to cause society,” Gellers said.
Gellers said that reflection needs to happen at every level.
“Organizations, institutions, and individuals should really be thinking about as they contemplate how much we want AI to be infused in our everyday lives,” he said.
And the risk isn’t theoretical. Generative AI already landed one local business owner in hot water after an AI-generated photo of Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence resulted in a letter from the NFL.
“People have a right to retain their own image and likenesses under the law,” the source said. “And someone could potentially threaten their livelihood, their reputation, because they are putting something out there in the world that’s not real.”
Florida fights back with new laws
Florida has seen the consequences of AI misuse firsthand. Brooke Curry, daughter of former Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, fought back after someone posted an AI-generated fake nude photo of her without her consent.
“You have to go through that to really understand the trauma it brings, and that was probably the hardest part — people not understanding behind closed doors how it affects you,” Brooke Curry said.
Brooke’s Law, passed in June 2025, requires online platforms to remove AI-generated sexually explicit images of a person without their consent after receiving a valid request from the victim.
Beyond Brooke’s Law, Florida has passed additional generative AI-related measures, including making AI-generated child sexual abuse material illegal and requiring disclaimers on certain AI-altered political ads.
Florida lawmakers also considered an Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights. It passed the Senate but ultimately failed to advance in the House.
What you can do
Gellers said it’s important for individuals to stay engaged as AI continues to spread into nearly every corner of daily life.
“It’s being infused in so many different aspects of life — the public sector, the private sector, our personal lives, education, religion and so on — that it’s very difficult to envision it all going away instantly,” Gellers said. “And yet we still need to maintain our sense of personhood, humanity, and think about places where we absolutely do not want AI to be involved.”
If something online looks off, don’t rush to share it. When in doubt, think before you click.