Truth Distorted: AI Photo Manipulation Fuels Trust Crisis in the Digital Age

In today’s digital world, seeing is no longer believing. The line between real and fake imagery is rapidly vanishing thanks to powerful photo manipulation tools and the rise of generative AI. Anyone with a smartphone and internet access can create photorealistic scenes that never happened—and present them as truth. According to AI ethics expert Martin Bekker, this erosion of visual trust challenges how we understand news, memory, and reality itself. The solution? Transparency. Bekker calls for a clear system where creators disclose any alterations made to images. Without such standards, manipulated visuals risk undermining public trust, especially in journalism and media. As AI continues to blur the boundary between fiction and fact, the urgency for ethical guardrails grows. Inaction isn't neutral—it’s dangerous.