Ever glance at a photo or illustration and know it was AI? A year ago, 12-fingered hands or backwards feet were dead giveaways. Today’s generators (think Midjourney V7 or GPT-4o’s image suite) nail anatomy so well that the slip-ups are subtler—text that melts into the background, reflections that don’t reflect, lighting that bends physics. Spotting those glitches still matters. Because your audience won’t blame the model—they’ll blame the brand that hit “publish.”

The tech may be maturing at breakneck speed, but the standards haven’t budged. Typos, bad Photoshop jobs and sloppy AI artifacts are still a distraction. Quality control is the key to credibility. So let’s talk about some ways to prevent mistakes when using this cutting-edge tool.

1. Give AI something great to work with.

Harvard University’s IT department puts it simply: 

“More descriptive prompts can improve the quality of the outputs.”¹ 

In 2025, that means going beyond a single sentence. Break your prompt into four parts: task, context, constraints and examples—and don’t be shy about negatives (“avoid lens flare” or “omit text on signage”). 

Assign a persona (“act as a senior copy editor”) and let the model self-review: “critique your last answer for tone or factual errors and revise.” 

There’s no such thing as TMI when it comes to prompts.

2. Slow down and inspect the details.

After the model delivers, zoom in—literally. Complex edges, text, jewelry and glassware are common trouble spots. If it looks too perfect, flip the image and check again. Asymmetries—like mismatched earrings, uneven facial features, or inconsistent reflections—often jump out, since AI sometimes struggles with balanced detail on both sides. Before anything goes live, rinse the file through an AI-detection tool (BrandWell, AI-or-Not) and embed C2PA or Adobe Content Credentials so viewers—and search engines—can trace its provenance.

3. Words need a second set of human eyes

GPT-5 slashed hallucinations by roughly half, but “half” isn’t zero. Read everything aloud to catch robotic cadence, then verify names, dates, prices and stats against primary sources. Run your copy through a style checker tuned to your brand voice, and remember: brevity beats word salad every time.

4. One last gut check

Before AI, you’d never ship an ad, newsletter or billboard without a final proof. Keep that discipline. The goal is for prospects to linger on your message, not on AI quirks. When they focus on your story, they see expertise. When they spot silly little mistakes, they see amateurs.

Your brand deserves the first impression it’s worked hard to earn. Give AI clear instructions, scrutinize the results and share work that looks like you, not a glitch in the machine.

_{1 Harvard University Information Technology, https://huit.harvard.edu/news/ai-prompts}