AI-generated images are increasingly prevalent in online feeds, eroding users' sense of reality and imposing a mental tax of constantly questioning what is real. The article highlights a shift from sporadic viral AI moments, like the pope in a puffy jacket in March 2023, to a norm where powerful models such as Google’s Nano Banana and Veo 3 enable high-quality visual generation for everyone. Former tells like six-fingered hands and jumbled text have disappeared. Creators Eric Suerez and Adam Vaserstein used Veo 3 during Fourth of July weekend last year to generate Granny Spills, an AI character whose Instagram account gained a million followers within a month. Vaserstein noted it was "way easier to grow these AI fictional characters" than real ones. AI influencers do not hide their digital roots; Cameron-James Wilson, creator of digital model Shudu, says knowing something is not real does not stop enjoyment, citing Barbie and Elsa from "Frozen." Wilson, a former fashion photographer for 10 years, acknowledged that retouching has long meant what we see is not real, and synthetic supermodels could create unrealistic beauty standards. The article is part of a three-part audio series, "AI and the Blurring of Reality," airing Saturdays on WSJ’s Tech News Briefing, and includes a practical guide for navigating this ecosystem.