Supplementary data for the paper: 'Detecting Midjourney-generated images: An eye-tracking study'

This study investigated human performance in identifying AI-generated images. In a speeded forced-choice task, 255 participants viewed paired images (one real, one AI-generated by Midjourney) of standard or futuristic cars and buildings and had to identify the AI-generated one, while eye movements were recorded using an eye-tracker. Results revealed a powerful ‘futurism-as-artificiality’ heuristic. Specifically, participants performed poorly (55% correct) when an AI-generated standard image was paired with a real futuristic image Conversely, accuracy was high (91% correct) when the AI-generated futuristic image was paired with a real standard image. Participants' gaze landed first on the AI-generated image more often when it depicted a futuristic design than when it depicted a standard one. The demonstrated heuristic presents a double-edged sword for information veracity: it may lead to the uncritical acceptance of AI-generated misinformation that appears conventional, while simultaneously causing real forward-thinking designs to be dismissed as fake.

本研究考察了人类在鉴别人工智能生成图像时的表现。在一项快速迫选任务中，255名受试者观看了成对图像（一张为真实图像，另一张为Midjourney生成的人工智能图像），图像内容涵盖常规与未来风格的汽车及建筑，受试者需从中鉴别出人工智能生成的图像，同时通过眼动仪（eye-tracker）记录其眼动轨迹。研究结果揭示了一种极具影响力的“未来主义即人工性”启发式（heuristic）策略。具体而言，当人工智能生成的常规风格图像与真实的未来风格图像配对时，受试者的表现较差，正确率仅为55%；反之，当人工智能生成的未来风格图像与真实的常规风格图像配对时，受试者的正确率高达91%。相较于常规设计的图像，受试者首次注视的落点更常落在人工智能生成的未来风格图像上。该被证实的启发式策略对信息真实性而言是一把双刃剑：一方面，它可能导致人们不加批判地接受看似常规的人工智能生成虚假信息；另一方面，又会使真实的前瞻性设计被误判为伪造内容。