Deepfake Expert: "I Can No Longer Trust My Own Eyes"

Hany Farid, one of the world’s leading experts on deepfakes, says he can no longer trust what he sees. In the age of artificial intelligence, he struggles to prove what is real before the internet decides for itself. Farid, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, has spent decades developing tools to detect manipulated media. But today’s AI-generated images and videos are so realistic that even he cannot always spot a fake. “I used to be able to tell by looking,” he says. “Now, the technology has outpaced my own eyes.” The problem is growing fast. AI tools can now create convincing videos of people saying things they never said. This threatens elections, spreads misinformation, and erodes public trust. Farid warns that without better detection systems and legal safeguards, society may soon lose the ability to agree on basic facts. His solution? A combination of better AI detection software, digital watermarks, and stricter laws. But time is running out. As Farid puts it: “The internet is already deciding what is real. We have to catch up.”