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The Conversation
The Conversation
Nan Li, Associate Professor of Science Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Anyone can fake a scientific image with AI, tricking even academic journals – and undermining trust in science

Earth NASA Moon
Are you able to tell the difference between a scientific image made by a person or by an AI model? Olga Yastremska/iStock via Getty Images

A photograph of Earth glowing in deep space, the Moon’s cratered horizon stretching across its foreground, caught many people’s eyes in April 2026. Astronauts captured the image while aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission, and like the famous Apollo 8 “Earthrise” image, the picture felt instantly real and inspiring for many.

But when almost anyone can fabricate a visually similar image in seconds from a text prompt using artificial intelligence, how do people decide which image is real?

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