Photos serve as a way for humans to record what they experience in their daily lives, and they are often regarded as trustworthy sources of information. However, there is a growing concern that the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technology may produce fake photos, which can create confusion and diminish trust in photographs. This study aims to answer the question of whether the current state-of-the-art AI-based visual content generation models can consistently deceive human eyes and convey false information. By conducting a high-quality quantitative study with fifty participants, we reveal, for the first time, that humans cannot distinguish between real photos and AI-created fake photos to a significant degree 38.7%. Our study also finds that an individual's background, such as their gender, age, and experience with AI-generated content (AIGC), does not significantly affect their ability to distinguish AI-generated images from real photographs. However, we do observe that there tend to be certain defects in AI-generated images that serve as cues for people to distinguish between real and fake photos. We hope that our study can raise awareness of the potential risks of AI-generated images and encourage further research to prevent the spread of false information. From a positive perspective, AI-generated images have the potential to revolutionize various industries and create a better future for humanity if they are used and regulated properly.

翻译：照片是人类记录日常生活体验的一种方式，常被视为值得信赖的信息来源。然而，人工智能技术的进步可能制造虚假照片，从而引发混淆并削弱对照片的信任，这一问题日益引发关注。本研究旨在探究当前最先进的AI视觉内容生成模型能否持续欺骗人眼并传递虚假信息。通过一项包含50名参与者的高质量定量研究，我们首次揭示：人类在高达38.7%的程度上无法区分真实照片与AI生成的虚假照片。研究还发现，个体背景（如性别、年龄及AI生成内容经验）对其区分AI生成图像与真实照片的能力无显著影响。但我们也观察到，AI生成图像中往往存在某些缺陷，可作为人们辨别真假的线索。我们期望本研究能提高公众对AI生成图像潜在风险的认知，并推动更多研究以防止虚假信息传播。从积极角度看，若能被合理使用与监管，AI生成图像有望彻底革新多个行业，为人类创造更美好的未来。