DejAIvu: Identifying and Explaining AI Art on the Web in Real-Time with Saliency Maps

AI-generated images are increasingly prevalent online and pose real risks: The paper documents an "alarming rise in AI-generated images across various domains on the web," creating challenges around misinformation, digital forgery, and authenticity verification that affect how we trust visual content.

Lack of transparency and credit is a significant concern: The research highlights that "uncredited use of AI-generated images in media and marketing has sparked significant backlash from online communities," suggesting the public cares about knowing when AI is involved in creating visual content they encounter.

Real-time detection with explainability is now feasible: DejAIvu demonstrates that AI-generated images can be identified automatically as users browse the web, and importantly, the system uses "saliency heatmaps to highlight AI-related artifacts"—meaning users can see why an image is flagged as AI-generated, not just that it is.

Browser-based tools can make AI detection accessible: By operating as a Chrome extension with "efficient in-browser inference," the technology can work directly on users' devices without requiring them to upload images to external services, making detection practical for everyday web browsing.

Balancing innovation with accountability is possible: While acknowledging that generative AI "offers benefits such as democratizing artistic creation," the paper argues these tools can coexist with accountability measures that help users make informed decisions about the content they encounter.