Deepfakes and distrust: how human provenance can rebuild digital confidence (www.techradar.com)

The rise of AI-generated deepfakes is significantly impacting digital trust, with projections indicating that eight million such manipulations could circulate in the UK this year, a dramatic increase from just 500,000 last year. Deepfakes pose serious challenges across sectors, particularly in finance, where fraud linked to fake identities surged by 3,000% in 2023, leading to average losses of around $500,000 per incident. The increasing sophistication of deepfake technology has outpaced traditional detection and moderation strategies, reinforcing the need for new safeguards in digital interactions. To counteract this growing threat, experts advocate for a "proof of humanness" approach, which verifies the authenticity of individuals involved in transactions without compromising sensitive data. This proactive measure aims to restore consumer confidence and support digital commerce by embedding trust into online systems. As users demand greater assurance of authenticity, adopting these measures can help businesses mitigate fraud, reduce operational risks, and ultimately foster an environment conducive to innovation. The call for foundational changes in digital architecture underscores that the future of AI hinges not only on detecting fakes but on substantiating what is real.