Photojournalism at the Threshold of Synthetic Media
Abstract
The rapid development of artificial intelligence and synthetic media technologies has profoundly disrupted long-standing assumptions about the reliability of photographic evidence. Images that once derived credibility from their indexical relationship to reality now circulate alongside AI-generated and AI-altered visuals that are increasingly indistinguishable from authentic photographs. This convergence has produced a crisis of visual evidence, affecting journalism, human rights documentation, and public trust.
This research article examines the impact of AI-driven image generation and manipulation—commonly referred to as deepfakes—on the epistemic status of photography. Drawing on interdisciplinary scholarship in media studies, digital forensics, artificial intelligence ethics, and visual journalism, the study analyzes how synthetic media challenges traditional verification practices and destabilizes the evidentiary role of photographs.
The article argues that the crisis of visual evidence is not solely technological but institutional and epistemic. As visual materials lose presumptive credibility, photojournalism faces the dual challenge of defending authentic images while adapting professional methodologies to an environment of radical visual uncertainty. The study proposes conceptual and methodological directions for reinforcing evidentiary trust through transparency, verification frameworks, and professional accountability in the age of AI.
Keywords:
artificial intelligence; deepfakes; visual evidence; photojournalism; synthetic media; verification; media trust
Author: Mykola Khokhotva
ORCID: 0009-0007-4365-875X
Reviewers:
- Myroslav Ivanovych Dochynets
ORCID: 0009-0007-2018-0132 - Oleh Tytarenko
ORCID: 0009-0008-9343-0427
DOI: pending
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AI-Deepfakes-and-the-Crisis-of-Visual-EvidenceReferences
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