What is “synthetic evidence”

A simple explanation of synthetic evidence and why it matters.

Synthetic evidence refers to information that has been artificially created, often using AI, but presented as if it were real.

This can include things like generated images, edited audio, or fabricated documents that appear authentic. In some cases, it might look like a real conversation, a real person, or a real event, despite never actually existing.

The challenge isn’t just that it’s fake, but that it can be convincing enough to pass as genuine. As these tools improve, it becomes harder to tell the difference between something that was recorded and something that was generated.

This has implications in areas like fraud, security, and verification. If evidence can be created rather than captured, it changes how trust is established in the first place.

Which raises a broader question: if seeing, or hearing, is no longer believing, what do we rely on instead?