Apparatus and method for correcting image regions following upsampling or frame interpolation. For example, one embodiment of an apparatus comprises a machine-learning engine to evaluate at least a first image in a sequence of images generated by a real-time interactive application, the machine learning engine to responsively use previously learned data to generate an upsampled or interpolated image comprising a plurality of pixel patches. In one embodiment, each pixel patch is associated with a confidence value reflecting how accurately the pixel patch was generated by the machine learning engine. A selective ray tracing engine identifies a first pixel patch to be corrected based a first confidence value corresponding to the first pixel patch being lower than a threshold and performs ray tracing operations on a first portion of the first image to generate a corrected first pixel patch.