Think you can spot a ChatGPT image? Take my real-or-AI quiz and see how many fool you

ChatGPT can now make images so realistic that some people can't even tell they aren't real, could you?

by · TechRadar

News By Becca Caddy Published 17 September 2026

(Image credit: Becca Caddy / OpenAI)

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OpenAI launched ChatGPT Images 2.5 last week, bringing all sorts of impressive upgrades to the way it generates images. The company says the latest model will bring us “sharper details, faster generation, more precise editing, and better tools for creating and sharing.”

We’ve already identified the new features of ChatGPT Images 2.5 you’ll actually use, like Sketch for turning quick drawings into polished images, templates for things like posters and better editing tools.

But it’s not all good news. We’re still a little disappointed by the presence of telltale noise patterns in some of its creations. TechRadar writer Eric Hal Schwartz described the problem well: “Everything gets a gritty, sandy look, and nothing looks clean for some reason.”

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What I’m most interested in isn’t necessarily how good ChatGPT’s new image capabilities are, but whether they can realistically pass as genuine photos.

Is this real or AI?

I’ve written before about how I love to comb through the r/isthisAI subreddit, where people post suspicious images and ask everyone else to help them work out whether they’re real.

It’s fascinating but also concerning when you see the number of scams, fake viral posts and completely fabricated people that are now floating around online.

So yes, ChatGPT Images has improved. But has it reached the point where AI images are becoming genuinely different to distinguish from real ones?

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