Trust in Information Is Being Reconsidered in the Age of AI

Assist. Prof. Dr. Görkem Akdur, a faculty member at the School of Applied Sciences at Cyprus International University (CIU), shared his assessment of the impact of AI-generated fake content on digital trust as part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Drawing attention to the ability of deepfake technologies to create highly realistic audio and visual content, Akdur stated that skepticism toward content encountered in digital environments should be supported by a habit of verification.

Assist. Prof. Dr. Görkem Akdur noted that the growing prevalence of AI-generated fake content not only increases the risk of believing false information, but can also lead to genuine recordings being unfairly dismissed. “In the age of artificial intelligence, the real skill is neither believing everything nor considering everything fake, but turning skepticism into verification,” he said.

Akdur explained that deepfake technologies can make it possible for a person to appear to say things they never actually said in their own voice, or for images of events that never took place to be presented as real. He stated that this situation can also create a basis for genuine content to be rejected on the grounds that it is “AI-generated.” Akdur noted that this phenomenon, discussed in the scientific community as the “Liar’s Dividend,” makes a more careful and evidence-based approach necessary when evaluating digital content.

Akdur also pointed to AI-assisted fraud methods as another risk to digital security, noting that the voices of people’s relatives can be imitated to make urgent requests for money. He emphasized that a familiar voice or image alone may not be sufficient to verify someone’s identity and stressed the importance of using a different communication channel for verification in suspicious situations.

Akdur recommended checking the source and publication date of digital content before sharing it, comparing claims against multiple independent and reliable sources, and, in the case of unexpected requests for money, ending the communication and calling the person back using a known phone number. He also reminded users that tools designed to detect AI-generated content can make mistakes, emphasizing that cybersecurity involves not only strong passwords but also the ability to make informed decisions in digital environments.