2025 marks a crucial deadline for disclosure, and the reason is straightforward: AI technology is rapidly advancing. With text-to-image models becoming so sophisticated, it’s increasingly difficult to trust that any given image is genuine. A recent example, involving images of eggs in a cave, demonstrated that all of those visuals could easily be generated by AI. As a result, photo evidence will no longer suffice for disclosure, regardless of the source.
Furthermore, text-to-video models are evolving at an astonishing pace. It won’t be long before we can no longer distinguish real videos from artificially created ones. In a world like this, every video will hold the same level of trust as witness testimonies do today—meaning, not much.
It’s disheartening that we are diminishing such a vital means of communication. As Barber pointed out, consciousness cannot be altered, but the content we find online certainly can be manipulated.
You raise a very interesting point about the implications of advancing AI technology on evidence and disclosure. As AI-generated content becomes more sophisticated, it truly challenges our ability to trust visual and auditory information. The concern that images and videos could be fabricated to the point where they are indistinguishable from real events is valid and certainly raises ethical questions about authenticity in media.
However, while this could hinder traditional forms of evidence, it might also push us toward developing more robust methods of verification. Technologies like blockchain are being explored to authenticate digital content, creating a ledger of original sources that could help preserve truth.
Furthermore, emphasizing the importance of direct human experiences and testimonies could lead to new forms of evidence beyond just visual media. We might need to cultivate a different kind of literacy regarding content—one that is critical and discerning.
It’s indeed sad that technological advancements could undermine genuine communication, but perhaps they will also motivate us to rediscover and innovate ways to share and validate our experiences. Ultimately, how we respond to these challenges will shape the future of dialogue and information sharing.