Hany Farid, a digital forensics expert and co-founder of GetReal, has warned that AI-generated deepfakes are becoming increasingly difficult for the average person to detect. Farid, who has studied digital forensics since 1999, emphasized that human perception alone is insufficient to reliably identify manipulated content. While computational tools can detect deepfakes, the average social media user lacks the expertise to do so.
Farid began his academic career at Dartmouth College when digital forensics was a nascent field. He foresaw the challenges of digital evidence in legal and media contexts as technology advanced. Over time, the field expanded as citizen journalism and digital media grew, raising questions about the authenticity of shared content.
Farid’s work at GetReal involves using mathematical and computational tools to verify digital content. However, he notes a significant gap between professional forensic analysis and the average person’s ability to discern real from fake content. This disparity raises concerns about misinformation and public trust in digital media.