Advances in AI image-generation tools could soon enable fraudsters to falsify vehicle damage following a collision, warns fleet software specialist FleetCheck.
According to Neil Avent, chief technical officer at FleetCheck, the rapid development of generative adversarial networks (GANs) is transforming the quality of AI-generated images and videos.
“There has been a real step change in the last few months with the more widespread availability of a technology called GANs – or generative adversarial networks. This uses two neural networks in competition to create images and is now being offered by the mainstream image generation systems, replacing previous diffusion-style techniques,” said Avent.
“If you take an image of a vehicle that has been involved in an accident and asked AI to ‘add scratches and light dents along the door panel’ today then the output is much more convincing than it was even last year.”
Avent said the most likely route for misuse is in collisions where third-party drivers use AI to artificially increase the apparent damage. “One of the advantages of GANs technology is that it can do this across multiple images with a high degree of consistency,” he added.
FleetCheck is urging operators to adopt clear protocols for image capture at the scene of any incident. Avent said: “We’re reaching a stage where it is not easy even for experts to see that some images have been manipulated and fleets should be aware of the growing potential for fraud and its resulting impact on their insurance costs.”
“This is something that can be done using our app, which provides prompts that walk the driver through the process,” he added.
Nick Hutson, compliance and training manager at 1st Choice Insurance, added: “Fraudulent and exaggerated claims have been a persistent issue for decades, but the methods used to carry them out have evolved significantly over time, becoming increasingly difficult to track and manage.
“With AI-generated images and videos advancing rapidly, it’s becoming harder to spot manipulations, and there’s a strong likelihood that we’ve already encountered such claims without identifying them.
“To help combat this, we encourage drivers to adopt additional procedures, such as taking comprehensive, clear photos from multiple angles and using technology to record accurate details at the scene. These simple steps can make a big difference in identifying and preventing fraudulent claims.”
