Artificial intelligence has already transformed the landscape of information, creativity, and work. With just a prompt, anyone can generate words, images, music, or video that look remarkably real. But this power raises a critical question: how do we protect the value of authentic human work in an age where machines can mimic it?
WHEN AUTHENTICITY IS IN DOUBT
Recent examples highlight the stakes.
- Hiring and Security Risks: Tech recruiters discovered candidates using AI deepfakes to feign technical skills, disguise their location, and even assume false identities. For companies that safeguard sensitive systems, the risk goes beyond a bad hire — it can jeopardize national security. The response has been simple but telling: more in-person interactions before offers are extended. Human presence remains the best defense against deception.
- Music Industry Fraud: Artists have found AI-generated songs uploaded under their names on streaming platforms, sometimes even on their official profiles. While royalties from these scams were small, the issue is larger: AI can imitate human creativity so well that it blurs the line between genuine expression and fraudulent copies.
Both stories point to the same truth: authenticity is the currency of trust. Whether in business or art, what people value most is not technical polish but the lived human experience behind it.
WORK, CULTURE, AND TRUST
Authenticity underpins our economy and civic life. If trust in human work erodes, so too does confidence in hiring, creative industries, and democratic discourse. The health of our institutions depends on our ability to distinguish between what is real and what is manufactured.
This is not the first time technology has disrupted markets, but AI is different in scale and speed. Fraud is nothing new, yet AI supercharges the ability to deceive, creating new liabilities for companies, platforms, and governments.
THE POLICY LENS: TRANSPARENCY AND LIABILITY
How do we preserve authenticity while still harnessing innovation?
- Transparency Measures: Businesses are already adapting, from recruiters requiring in-person meetings to platforms increasing scrutiny of uploaded content. Transparency builds trust, and policies that support transparency help create consistency across industries.
- Provenance Standards: One promising idea is attaching “provenance information,” metadata that shows who created, modified, or distributed digital content. Similar to a chain of custody in criminal justice, provenance doesn’t guarantee authenticity, but it establishes a norm of traceability that helps identify forgeries and builds public trust.
- Liability Questions: When fraud happens, who is responsible? Recruiters who failed to detect a fake applicant? Distributors who allowed fraudulent music uploads? Platforms that profit from unverified content? Clarifying liability can push companies toward stronger safeguards and make transparency practices a baseline expectation.
WHAT GOVERNMENT CAN DO
The government has long protected its own authenticity through secure systems. However, it can also set norms for the broader public sphere. Imagine if every government release, a video, press statement, or public document, came with built-in provenance information. Such standards would establish expectations that ripple outward, encouraging private organizations to do the same.
The question remains whether the government should require the private sector to provide provenance information. Businesses are already incentivized to protect their data and reputation proportional to the risk each one faces. Requiring more security than necessary is rarely the solution, but ensuring strong remedies and protections for victims can discourage nefarious activity before it happens.
LOOKING AHEAD: THE HUMAN ELEMENT
Data provenance information, liability standards, and transparency requirements are essential tools. But none of them replace the human element. A forged file with provenance attached is still a forgery. Accountability, secure systems, and cultural norms around honesty and authenticity must reinforce these technical solutions.
Our choices will shape how AI interacts with work, art, and civic life. If we fail to value authenticity, we risk undermining markets and our shared sense of dignity and trust. If we succeed, AI can strengthen, not replace, the contributions of human creativity and labor.
HOW YOU CAN ENGAGE AND LEAD
WHERE TO START THE CONVERSATION
- Explore this topic more with The Policy Circle’s new AI and Government Transparency Insight or the Government Accountability and Transparency Insight.
- Pick up the Rebuilding Trust in America or Stitching the Fabric of Neighborhoods Briefs to learn more about social cohesion.
- The new AI Primer: Understanding AI Insight sheds more light on how AI is rapidly changing how we perceive and distinguish reality.
- For more on data protections, take a look at our Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Insight.
- Host a Circle conversation on the above materials. Let us know what your group discovers together through respectful dialogue.
POLICY IN THE WORKS
The COPIED Act was introduced to the Senate and is currently in committee. Take a few minutes to learn more about what it proposes, what you think about it, and let your representative know your thoughts.
- Is your representative on the committee? This bill was introduced and sent to the committee, but a markup session has not been scheduled yet. Contact them to learn more about the process and the next steps.
TAKING THE NEXT STEP
Get plugged into your community through The Policy Circle’s Civic Leadership Engagement Roadmap (CLER) program. Connect with participants and coaches who are all committed to respectful dialogue and finding solutions.
FOR CIRCLE DISCUSSION
Start a conversation! Whether or not you’re a circle leader, starting dialogue with others builds community and your skills. Ask your Circle, friends, and family the following questions:
- How do we balance innovation with accountability in the AI age?
- What role should businesses, platforms, and government each play in preserving authenticity?
- How can citizens set expectations for transparency and integrity in the digital world?
