Can you tell the difference between the image of a real lobster and an image of a lobster created by AI? While AI continues to improve its generation techniques, lobsters have long been a notoriously difficult species for it to render. So, there’s still hope that we can easily distinguish between the lobster on our plate and the one that is generated on our screen!

You can probably easily tell that the lobster above was rendered by AI. While at first glance it appears pretty realistic, take a close look at those mutant claws! The legs are also sprouting from the wrong place, as are the claws. Even the shell has extra panels not seen in the natural world.

Drawing lobsters, whether by hand or through AI, presents a unique set of challenges due to the intricate nature of their anatomy. Lobsters have a complex exoskeleton, called a carapace, that covers their body. A lobster is adorned with eight legs and two claws that are each unique.

Capturing the details of these appendages, with all their segments and joints, requires a keen understanding of lobster anatomy and a very good eye for detail. Artists, whether human or AI, struggle with these challenging details to create accurate and realistic representations of lobsters. The difficulty in drawing lobsters is a testament to the incredible marvel of the biological design of the species, which, in turn, serves to highlight the skill required to accurately and faithfully reproduce it in visual form.

Distinguishing between a real lobster and an AI-generated lobster image will probably become more challenging in the future, especially with advancements in artificial intelligence and image generation techniques. However, there will always be certain subtleties that can reveal the origin of an image. These subtleties may include lack of correct textures, inconsistencies in lighting and shadows, or unrealistic details like sharp extended teeth in the claws of lobsters, or even more glaring anatomical errors as seen in the weird AI generated images below.

Regardless of the fate of AI, lobstermen will continue to use their skill and judgment to catch real lobsters, and we will continue to deliver them to you, straight from the Gulf of Maine. With only a few clicks you can order Maine lobster to study, draw, and enjoy at ShopLobster.