How do I verify a developer’s portfolio is real and not AI-generated?

Six tells. LinkedIn-verified testimonials are the floor.

What AI portfolios get right

Great-looking screenshots. Plausible client names. Generic-but-correct descriptions. Visual consistency across the portfolio. If you stop here, you cannot distinguish.

The six tells

1. Public URLs you can visit. Real client work is at a real domain. Visit each one. AI portfolios use mockup URLs or expired domains.
2. LinkedIn-verifiable testimonials. Real quote, real name, real job title, real linked profile. The testifier should be findable independently and willing to respond to a DM.
3. Public PageSpeed / Lighthouse reports. Run a fresh PageSpeed Insights against each portfolio URL. The scores in the portfolio should match within a small margin.
4. GitHub or BitBucket history. Open-source contributions, your-username/repos. AI portfolios can’t fake 18 months of consistent commits at variable hours.
5. References who answer. Ask for two references. Email both. Both should respond within 2 — 3 business days.
6. Live conversation. A 30-minute call. AI portfolios are run by humans, but those humans can’t fluently answer “tell me about the hardest decision on the Cyberhive build.” Specific stories with timestamps and names are the unfakeable evidence.

The minimum bar

Two LinkedIn-verifiable testimonials with public domain URLs you can independently audit. Anything less is a guess.