January 24, 2026
6 min read
The new forensic science of proving what’s real
As deepfakes blur the line between truth and fiction, we’ll need a new class of forensic experts to determine what’s real, what’s fake and what can be proved in court
By Deni Ellis Béchard edited by Eric Sullivan
SmileStudioAP/Getty Images
Imagine this scenario. The year is 2030; deepfakes and artificial-intelligence-generated content are everywhere, and you are a member of a new profession—a reality notary. From your office, clients ask you to verify the authenticity of photos, videos, e-mails, contracts, screenshots, audio recordings, text message threads, social media posts and biometric records. People arrive desperate to protect their money, reputation and sanity—and also their freedom.
All four are at stake on a rainy Monday when an elderly woman tells you her son has been accused of murder. She carries the evidence against him: a USB flash drive containing surveillance footage of the shooting. It is sealed in a plastic bag stapled to an affidavit, which explains that the drive contains evidence the prosecution intends to use. At the bottom is a string of numbers and letters: a cryptographic hash.
The Sterile Lab
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