Decoy Font(mixfont.com)
711 points by ray__ 56 days ago | 158 comments
tl;dr: Decoy Font is a downloadable TTF font that exploits the hybrid image technique (same idea as the Einstein/Monroe illusion), overlaying sharp foreground letters on blurred, low-frequency background letters so humans reading from a distance see a different message than what AI/OCR sees up close. The author demonstrates it fooling ChatGPT and Gemini 3.5, though notes agentic models with proper prompting could likely defeat it. It's positioned as an accessible anti-AI-scraping tool, with potential applications in CAPTCHAs or private messaging.
HN Discussion:
  • ~Cool concept but ultimately ineffective at its stated purpose of blocking AI
  • AI models can easily defeat it, especially with hints or simple preprocessing
  • Shares related prior technical work on hybrid image techniques
  • Suggests creative alternative applications like t-shirts
  • Raises accessibility concerns for screen reader users