v2026.1CASRAI Dictionary 714 entries across 20 domains · CC-BY 4.0714 entries · CC-BY 4.0

Dictionary termTrack AStablev2026.2

Synthetic image

An image produced by a generative model (e.g., diffusion model, GAN) rather than captured from a physical scene or instrument, including images used as illustrations, in figures, or as training data.

ByCASRAI Editorial Board

· Last updated 21 May 2026

Examples

Worked examples

Is an instance
A DALL-E-generated graphical abstract
Is an instance
A Midjourney-generated cover illustration

Counter-examples

Looks similar, but isn't

Not an instance
A real microscopy image with AI-enhanced contrast (this is image processing, not a synthetic image — but the processing must still be disclosed)

Editorial commentary

Synthetic images in scientific publications must be disclosed and clearly distinguished from observed images (microscopy, imaging, photography). Many journals now prohibit AI-generated images in scientific figures except where the image generation itself is the subject of study.

References

Nature Editorial Policy on Generative AI (2023)
Science Editorial Policy on AI-Generated Images (2023)

Also known as

AI-generated image · Generated image

Machine-readable encodings

Use in your systems

JATS XML <role> element

xml

<role vocab="credit"
      vocab-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/"
      vocab-term="Synthetic image"
      vocab-term-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/synthetic-image" />

Schema.org DefinedTerm (JSON-LD)

json

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "DefinedTerm",
  "name": "Synthetic image",
  "identifier": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/synthetic-image",
  "description": "An image produced by a generative model (e.g., diffusion model, GAN) rather than captured from a physical scene or instrument, including images used as illustrations, in figures, or as training data.",
  "inDefinedTermSet": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/domain/generative-ai-use-and-disclosure/",
  "url": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/synthetic-image",
  "sameAs": [
    "AI-generated image",
    "Generated image"
  ],
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}

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