In the context of images including AI-generated images using StableDiffusion, a “hash” refers to a unique identifier or digital fingerprint that is generated from the image data. In my experience a “HASH” can be used to fingerprint other media as well, such as executable “.exe” files or anything else.
A hash function is a mathematical algorithm that takes in a set of data (in this case, an image) and generates a fixed-size output, which is a unique representation of the input data. This output is often called a hash code or a digest. Even a small change in the input data will produce a vastly different hash code.
This HASH verification can be used to verify different versions of a file, for example. Hashes are often used to verify the integrity of data and to ensure that the data has not been tampered with.
In the case of AI-generated images, a hash can be used to verify the authenticity of the image, to ensure that the image has not been altered or manipulated after it was generated by the AI system.
Hashes are also useful for content-based image retrieval, where images are indexed and retrieved based on their similarity to other images. In this case, the hash can be used to quickly compare images and identify those that are similar to each other.
You can use VirusTotal to check a files hash up to 650 MB. Of course, you can also scan other files to validate the files have been unaltered as well!
Here is a list of free hash-makers/readers:
https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/free-hash-checkers-file-integrity/
Modified response from ChatGPT.
