It feels like every day we’re bombarded with digital content, from striking photos to viral videos that shift narratives overnight. But in this flood of information, how do we know what’s real? The distinction between authentic and artificial is becoming incredibly difficult to see, making the world of digital media provenance more critical than ever. This growing field is focused on making sure we can trace content back to its source, understand its history, and be confident in its authenticity, tackling everything from AI-generated images to cleverly edited deepfakes.
Groups like the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) and the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) come in, developing new technologies and encouraging collaboration across industries to help us verify the media we consume in a world full of digital trickery.
For a comprehensive timeline of this movement, highlighting key innovation, challenges, and efforts towards digital transparency, check out the Defake Project Blog.
