What we’ve been getting wrong about AI’s truth crisis

What would it take to convince you that the era of truth decay we were long warned about—where AI content dupes us, shapes our beliefs even when we catch the lie, and erodes societal trust in the process—is now here? A story I published last week pushed me over the edge. It also made me realize that the tools we were sold as a cure for this crisis are failing miserably.

On Thursday, I reported the first confirmation that the US Department of Homeland Security, which houses immigration agencies, is using AI video generators from Google and Adobe to make content that it shares with the public. The news comes as immigration agencies have flooded social media with content to support President Trump's mass deportation agenda—some of which appears to be made with AI.

But I received two types of reactions from readers that may explain just as much about the epistemic crisis we’re in. One was from people who weren’t surprised, because on January 22 the White House had posted a digitally altered photo of a woman arrested at an ICE protest, one that made her appear hysterical and in tears. Kaelan Dorr, the White House’s deputy communications director, did not respond to questions about whether the White House altered the photo but wrote, “The memes will continue.”

The second was from readers who saw no point in reporting that DHS was using AI to edit content shared with the public, because news outlets were apparently doing the same. They pointed to the fact that the news network MS Now shared an image of Alex Pretti that was AI-edited and appeared to make him look more handsome, a fact that led to many viral clips this week, including one from Joe Rogan’s podcast. A spokesperson for MS Now told Snopes that the news outlet aired the image without knowing it was edited.