AI has made a huge impact on the internet. It is the new and great tool that has lots of wonderful uses, but it can also be used for bad. And unfortunately we’re seeing it used to create fake images to fool people into thinking there’s a real crochet pattern for sale. So how can you tell if a crochet pattern is an AI scam?

AI Crochet Images Are Becoming Commonplace

Crochet patterns are the perfect target for scammers. Patterns are in huge demand with a truly worldwide audience. Although crochet patterns are relatively cheap, that’s why it’s fairly easy to trick people into falling for these scams. It’s a relatively small amount of money to loose so we’re not always on high alert as we would be for a more expensive item.

This means that there are an increasing amount of fake crochet pattern pictures doing the rounds and they are getting more and more common to see. simply because scammers can make a lot of money from these crochet pattern scams for very little effort.

It’s becoming the case that we all need to think twice before buying a pattern that catches our eye online. As just because there is an amazing eye-catching image doesn’t mean that you will receive a real pattern behind the link you are given. The sad truth is that AI can generate convincing looking crochet pictures, but it can’t generate a real pattern to go with them.

AI Images Are Easy To Create

It’s so easy to create an AI crochet image, which just adds to the problem. It takes just seconds to get ChatGPT to create a prompt that can then be pasted into an image generator.

It took me just 2 minutes to generate this picture of an amigurumi frog. And you have to admit, it’s a pretty convincing picture and easy to see how people get fooled!

Plus AI is constantly improving and making more realistic looking images, so these artificial creations really do look like a genuine crochet item.

This is why so many of these fake images are now circulating the internet. They are easy to create and because they look so realistic, it’s easy to fool people into thinking its the real thing.

Thankfully though, these images do still have some giveaways.

How To Spot An AI Image

AI images are just a bit too perfect. You know what they say about something being too good to be true? That saying applies to AI crochet pictures.

• The stitch definition is amazing.
• They have a warm tone that looks really inviting
• Some stitches look impossible to create leaving you wondering how they made it.
• The edges of the shapes are very sharp and straight

These “tells” are what you’re looking for when trying to decide if the image you’re looking at is real or fake.

In the image below the motifs on the blanket just have edges that are too perfect to be crocheted. One of the squares has a background the same colour as the picture inside it – no designer would do that, it just doesn’t make sense. Al the lines dividing up the squares are just too straight and neat. Fabric wrinkles, and with the best will in the world you’re not going to be able to lay out a real blanket that neatly and perfectly.

How To Tell If The Crochet Pattern Is Real

Because AI is getting better at creating realistic looking crochet images and we’re all just eternally hopeful that these amazing looking pictures are real and we can create it for ourselves, we still need more checks. We want to be sure that we’re really buying a real pattern or that we’re definitely passing on a scam and not just an amazing looking, genuine pattern.

First check the comments on the picture that’s circulating. If it’s been doing the rounds for a few days it will absolutely have some comments outing it as a scam. Saying that, some genuine pattern pictures are mistakenly being called scams because they look so amazing. But if that is the case there will be other comments saying that is a mistake.

Check the logo or watermark. A lot of AI images don’t have one and no experienced designer will be putting pictures out on the internet without their brand name or logo on the picture somewhere. If there is a name on the picture then have a Google and find the designers shop or social media. Designers have a brand look to all of their photos. You can tell what pattern belongs to which designer just by looking at how the item is staged and the background used. So if there is no cohesive look to all the images, then it’s going to be a scam account.

Be On Your Guard

There will always be fake AI crochet images being shared on the internet. This technology is going nowhere so we are just going to have to be on our guard and just keep aware that these things exist.

It’s difficult to safely buy from links that are being shared in large Facebook groups that have hundreds of different sellers advertising in them. You can’t trust every Instagram account that is using hashtags relating to crochet patterns. These tricksters even set up websites and Etsy shops that have fake or stolen content and don’t get shut down until enough complaints are accumulated.

Being forewarned is to be forearmed. So stay alert, double and triple check that the design you are about to buy is genuine and as long as you think twice and do some quick checks then you should avoid these scams and not throw your hard earned cash away.

For more crochet tips and tricks, check out our other articles here. Come on over to our Facebook group – Froggity Frog’s Ribbit And Stitch and show us what you’ve been crocheting. I’d love to see what you created with these crochet stitches. 

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