Library Lines ...

Occasionally people visit us here at Rhoads Memorial Library and ask if we have seen a specific photo online. Some defy description and may be an artificial intelligence-generated image. As AI technologies evolve, we need to be aware of some things to look for as we try to separate fact from fiction.

A website called Vintage Playbacks offered these tips in finding deep fakes: -Look for visual discrepancies, such as blurred edges around a subject, distortions in a facial expression, or inconsistent lighting. Shadows and highlights may not align naturally.

-Facial anomalies like misaligned eyebrows or uneven smiles may be evident. Look at the eye contact in portraits; the subject’s gaze may not align correctly.

-Deep fake videos often feature altered audio tracks or lip-syncing issues. Pay attention to any discrepancies between the audio and the speaker’s lip movements.

-Use reverse image search tools like Google Reverse Image Search or specialized deep fake detection tools to identify the source of an image and check for potential matches or inconsistencies.

With the proliferation of deep fakes online, it is wise to be alert to such inaccuracies. Which brings me to one of the pearls of wisdom from the article, “Things You Learn if You Live Long Enough”: “When I was a child, I used to watch the ‘Wizard of Oz’ and wonder how someone could talk if they didn’t have a brain. Then I got on Facebook and other social media platforms.”

Moving from artificial intelligence to facts: -Dimmitt Cloverbuds and 4-H Kids plan to convene in our meeting room at 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. respectively on Friday, Dec. 1. Both sessions will be led by Felice Acker, local agent with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

-Dimmitt Book Club will meet on Wednesday, Dec. 13, at 2 p.m. in our meeting room. Author Sandra Haney is slated to be the guest speaker.

Until next week, Happy Reading!