When Seeing Isn’t Believing: Challenging Visual Evidence in Modern Prosecutions

Video, audio, and digital records have long functioned as anchors of truth in criminal trials. But as AI-generated media, deepfakes, synthetic voice recordings, and manipulated digital evidence become increasingly realistic, that foundational assumption is under pressure. This presentation will examine how synthetic evidence challenges core criminal-trial doctrines, including authentication, chain of custody, voice identification, expert testimony, reasonable doubt, and the jury's ability to decide what is real. Drawing on experience as a prosecutor, defense attorney, and lecturer on financial crime, the presenter will address the current evidentiary framework for digital proof and the limits of existing doctrine in an AI environment. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of where existing doctrine holds, where it falls short, and what the legal system must confront as synthetic evidence becomes harder to detect.