iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Sam Gregory

Sam Gregory @samgregory.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Apple's new authenticity infrastructure, Reference Image, is "a serious piece of engineering, and a genuine response to the epistemic crisis of AI", but a start not an end-point. I reflect on lessons from the field, unanswered questions and next-step needs. www.techpolicy.press/will-apples-...

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Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Sam Gregory analyzes Apple's new Reference Image feature on the iPhone 18 Pro — "a serious piece of engineering, and a genuine response to the epistemic crisis of AI" — and the unanswered questions it raises.

techpolicy.press

Will Apple’s ‘Reference Image’ Feature Help Defend Against AI Manipulation?

Apple’s Reference Image addresses some serious challenges raised by the epistemic crisis of AI and presents some unanswered questions, writes Sam Gregory.

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Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

If you are interested in the issue of synthetic media and deepfakes, particularly about implications for journalism and human rights evidence, this is a really interesting read from @samgregory.bsky.social.

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Sam Gregory @samgregory.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

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Sam Gregory @samgregory.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Apple enters the defending reality fray with Reference Image, a digital negative to prove a real photo... I wrote about seeing another major company create the Proof Mode I've wanted for years... what I like, the questions, the concerns. #ReferenceImage #Apple #SunriseandShine lnkd.in/p/grzeHYCt

lnkd.in

Apple enters the defending reality fray | Sam Gregory

Reference Photo.... a simple name for a digital negative for the real. So Apple launched it's bet on how to defend the reality of a photo today at its Surprise and Shine showcase. I break down the ...

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Sam Gregory @samgregory.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

lnkd.in

Apple enters the defending reality fray | Sam Gregory

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Reposted by Sam Gregory

dan sinker @dansinker.com · 25/08/2026

it's possible to live a life where everyone grieves its end

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Sam Gregory @samgregory.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

On Al-Jazeera on 3 deepfake threat layers: *Consumer scams *Non-consensual sexual images + nudification apps *Corrosive ambient uncertainty via political/conflict usage. The onus musn't be on us to spot, report, hide our face but on law + platform responsibility. www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp-o...

youtube.com

Deepfakes are becoming harder to detect as AI scams and fake images spread: Analysis

YouTube video by Al Jazeera English

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Sam Gregory @samgregory.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Good @indicator.media report, in tandem with @witnessorg.bsky.social on gaps in detection tools mandated by rules that came into force on Aug 2: EU AI Act, and California AI Transparency Act. They found detectors for 6 out of 13 companies, and fooled all but one. indicator.media/p/ai-generat...

indicator.media

AI generators are now required to offer detection tools. We tested them (and they need work)

We found detectors for six out of thirteen companies, and fooled all but one

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Sam Gregory @samgregory.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Apple Reference Image: similar to ProofMode and verified capture apps since 2011 or so...Add extra sensor data + other identifiers to enrich and harden authentic image. Appears you hold off actual verification till know need it, then upload to Apple to 'confirm it' www.cultofmac.com/news/apple-r...

cultofmac.com

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Sam Gregory @samgregory.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Callista Gingrich is Callista Gingrich is my conclusion about whether her ambassadorial videos are AI-generated.... no, she just is like this, and is pretty consistent about that. We're in a world where she now looks like a bad corporate HR AI avatar. www.huffpost.com/entry/callis...

huffpost.com

Surprise! Experts Just Spotted Something In Callista Gingrich's Creepy Video That'll Blow Your Mind

The video didn’t pass the Deepfake-o-Meter, which tests footage against several AI-detection algorithms.

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mahsa alimardani @mahsaalimardani.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

1/New with Afsaneh Rigot of @thedecenter.bsky.social with work from @witnessorg.bsky.social for @carnegieendowment.org: "Generative AI and Atrocity Denial in War." How AI has turned doubt itself into a weapon, from Iran to Gaza to Sudan. Thread: carnegieendowment.org/research/202...

carnegieendowment.org

Generative AI and Atrocity Denial in War

In the fog of modern war, generative AI offers every side a simple transaction: Trade documented reality for permanent doubt.

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The Bureau of Investigative Journalism @tbij.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Can AI deepfake detectors always reliably prove whether an image is real or not?

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Sam Gregory @samgregory.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

It's August 2! It's August 2! Why am I so excited (and trepidacious)... It's the day both California and EU rules on content provenance and AI go into effect. Read on for @witnessorg.bsky.social analysis on where the EU AI Act gets it right, and where we need more. www.witness.org/witness-says...

witness.org

WITNESS on the Enforcement of EU's New AI Transparency Rules: Progress but Key Gaps Remain - WITNESS

WITNESS welcomes the Code of Practice's multi-layered approach to identifying AI-generated content, but says it doesn't go far enough.

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Sam Gregory @samgregory.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

In @techpolicypress.bsky.social shirin anlen and I on a foreseeable fiasco: how Google briefly turned 1 of world's most trusted sources of evidence into a generator of plausible fakes, and why tech cos must consult civil society experts before launch, not after www.techpolicy.press/google-earth...

techpolicy.press

Google Earth AI Fiasco Underscores Why Tech Firms Must Listen to Outside Experts

It's just one more parable in a long line of product releases by AI firms with potentially dangerous consequences, write shirin anlen and Sam Gregory.

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Sam Gregory @samgregory.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

What "on earth"? The prioritization of ground truth for journalism, and our shared sense of reality - is less important to Google than "custom images to help you visualize history, create real estate plans, and more." And no, us checking every image is not the answer. blog.google/products-and...

blog.google

Transform any place with Nano Banana in Google Earth

Custom images — generated from Google Earth satellite, aerial, and 3D imagery — help you redesign any location.

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Sam Gregory @samgregory.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

🎥 Deepfakes: Can you trust anything you see online anymore? Episode 3 in @tbij.bsky.social series 𝑴𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒆𝒅: 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑨𝑰 𝑮𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝑾𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 out now! I talk the reasons we need to worry, why we need to act, and winners/losers in the deepfakes fight (spoiler: not ordinary folks) www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s0x...

youtube.com

Deepfakes: Can you trust anything you see online anymore?

YouTube video by The Bureau Investigates

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Sam Gregory @samgregory.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

AI is eroding our shared sense of reality - that's the clear message in the Independent International Scientific Panel report. So what do we do about it? In my intervention at the UN Global Dialogue on AI, I highlighted key steps + the urgency of collective action. www.linkedin.com/posts/samgre...

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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

A must-read; could literally save someone's life

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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 20/05/2026

The longer you look at this, the worse it gets

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Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

"When WIRED called the Zambian embassy in Washington, a member of the staff answered the phone and transferred the call to another staff member who then picked up for several seconds before hanging up. A follow-up call went unanswered."

wired.com

The Chinese Government Just Got the World’s Largest Digital Rights Conference Canceled

Access Now, the group that organizes RightsCon, says Zambian officials asked it to exclude Taiwanese participants if it wanted the event to proceed as planned.

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RightsCon @rightscon.org · 01/05/2026

Following our April 29 announcement, we believe it's important to be transparent about the context that led to the decision. We want to explain, where we can, why this was made on such short notice, only days before we were set to host RightsCon. Read: www.rightscon.org/rc26-stateme...

rightscon.org

A statement to our community about why RightsCon 2026 will not take place in Zambia

Our official statement to the digital rights community about why RightsCon 2026 will not take place in Zambia

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Anna Mazzola @annamazz.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Some useful public speaking tips from Freud here.

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Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

I wrote about RightsCon's cancellation after Zambia's government announced it would postpone the event to sort out its concerns over "thematic issues." With thousands about to depart (or already en route) to Lusaka, it's a huge blow to the digital and human rights field.

techpolicy.press

RightsCon Canceled After Zambia Requires ‘Full Alignment’ With 'National Values'

Organizers canceled the event just days before thousands were set to descend on Lusaka to discuss issues at the intersection of technology and human rights.

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Reposted by Sam Gregory

Rachel Maddow @maddow.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

This is what Marco Rubio decided to do with his life: "AIDS Creeps Back in Parts of Zambia, a Year After U.S. Cuts to HIV Assistance: A once-robust HIV treatment and prevention system, credited with saving hundreds of thousands of lives, has begun to crumble..." www.nytimes.com/2026/04/25/h...

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Sam Gregory @samgregory.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

Great conversation with @tainalon.bsky.social and @felixsimon.bsky.social at #ijf26 on "When seeing is no longer believing: perils and possibilities in a world of synthetic media" with our differing viewpoints on scope, societal implications, and what to do www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYwu...

youtube.com

When seeing is no longer believing: perils and possibilities in a world of synthetic media

YouTube video by International Journalism Festival

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International Journalism Festival @journalismfestival.com · 07/04/2026

📌 As generative AI blurs the line between real and fake, fears of a collapse in trust are everywhere. Yet audiences still believe some sources. This panel explores what has really changed in the age of synthetic media — and who is responsible for protecting truth.

Promotional card for the International Journalism Festival 2026 (XX Edition, Free Entry), Perugia, Italy, 15–18 April. Session: "When Seeing Is No Longer Believing: Perils and Possibilities in a World of Synthetic Media." Speakers: Sam Gregory, Tai Nalon, Felix M. Simon. Saturday 18 April. #ijf26. Website: journalismfestival.com.

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Mark Little @marklittle.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

"We don’t need to give up on the ability to discern what is real from synthetic. But we do need to act” Wise words from Sam Gregory, highlighting the “failure of political will at the senior levels” of big tech companies to enforce effective content labelling www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

theguardian.com

‘They feel true’: political deepfakes are growing in influence – even if people know they aren’t real

AI images of people – such as women in military contexts – are making money and serving as propaganda, researchers say

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Sam Gregory @samgregory.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

“We don’t need to give up on the ability to discern what is real from synthetic,” he said. “But we do need to act fast.” In @theguardian.com I pointed to the tech companies failure to act, as Meta's own Oversight Board just also said about C2PA implementation www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

theguardian.com

‘They feel true’: political deepfakes are growing in influence – even if people know they aren’t real

AI images of people – such as women in military contexts – are making money and serving as propaganda, researchers say

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Sam Gregory @samgregory.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

Sora “normalized a world in which people are really uncertain about what they are seeing in their timelines both when it matters & when it doesn’t matter.. whether it’s casual comedy…or conflict footage from Iran. The consequences will reverberate even if the app is gone” The Verge archive.ph/AqRO7

archive.ph

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Neil Turkewitz @neilturkewitz.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

Sora “normalized a world in which in people are really uncertain about what they are seeing in their timelines both when it matters & when it doesn’t matter… whether it’s casual comedy… or conflict footage from Iran. The consequences will reverberate even if the app is gone.” @samgregory.bsky.social

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Sam Gregory @samgregory.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

OpenAI is shutting down Sora. But the damage is done: normalized AI slop, eroded trust in what's real, detection inadequate, provenance tools still MIA without senior company leadership, and shameful normalization of likeness theft. Thanks, but no thanks, Sam www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

linkedin.com

#openai #sora #deepfakes | Sam Gregory

OpenAI is closing down Sora. Thanks, but no thanks, given the problems it's already contributed to. I'm not sad to see them exiting the AI video world. I'm less interested in the business case reason...

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BostonJoan 🏳️‍🌈 🦫 @bostonjoan.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Rule 1: Never trust a good foot pic. It could be AI.

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Sam Gregory @samgregory.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

An AI avatar as the apotheosis of fantasy (and driver to monetized synthetic foot pics). I talked to @drewharwell.com at the Washington Post about Jessica, the MAGA dream girl.

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Sam Gregory @samgregory.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Hyper-realistic AI both to create fantasy images that illustrate people's hopes, and where the wish that something is fake finds a ready-made access point via poor forensic analysis: Talked with Archis Chowdhury @ Boom Live on implications of Netanyahu AI or not vids www.boomlive.in/explainers/n...

boomlive.in

Is The Israeli PM Alive? Why Three Videos Couldn't Settle The Debate | BOOM

A feedback loop of human paranoia, broken AI tools, and misapplied forensic techniques created a crisis where reality itself could not be verified.

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