What if nothing you see were real?

This is not a rhetorical question. It’s a possibility that already surrounds us.

We now live in a world where reality has become editable, scalable, and programmable. And the most unsettling part is that no one warned us. What began as a tech curiosity — a face-changing filter, a cloned voice used for pranks — has evolved in just a few years into a phenomenon with deep implications for politics, journalism, culture... and our own idea of truth.

It’s no longer just about distinguishing the real from the fake. It’s about accepting that, in many cases, truth and simulation are indistinguishable.

The Crisis of Authenticity

Between 2023 and 2024, deepfakes — videos, audio, or text generated by AI that perfectly mimic real people — surged by 3.000%. That’s not a typo. Three thousand percent. And they’re increasingly believable. More human. More convincing than we are.

A politician saying what they never said. A journalist “reporting” what never happened. A celebrity confessing experiences they never lived. A few seconds of voice, some photos, and a trained AI model is enough to generate a flawless simulation.

Here’s where the real danger begins: when everything can appear real, trust becomes optional. Doubt settles in — first as caution, then as resignation. Why bother fact-checking if nothing can be trusted anymore?

The (Late) Reaction from Platforms

Meta, X, TikTok... they’ve all started implementing systems to detect manipulated content. Some work. Others barely filter anything. Reuters and the BBC have documented how these platforms are under growing pressure to clean up the digital ecosystem. But let’s be honest: they’re late.

We’re chasing an avalanche with a broom.

And it’s not just a technical problem. As I wrote in The Art of Disguising Reality, technology is never neutral. Every advance can be shield or weapon. It depends on how we use it. On strategy. Like Plato’s cave — but today, the shadows are cast not by fire, but by millions of parameters in a neural network. And the walls of the cave… are us.

AI: Creator or Impostor?

In The Age of Intelligence, I described how AI is taking on a new role: that of a digital demiurge — capable of shaping realities, defining what we see, believe, and share. This is no longer theoretical. It’s happening. Cases like Cambridge Analytica or Pizzagate already showed how algorithms can manipulate and bring virtual chaos into real-world consequences. And that was before we had today’s generative AI.

Influencers That Don’t Exist… But Still Influence

Meanwhile, synthetic influencers add another layer to this artificial landscape. AI-generated avatars who smile, give advice, express opinions, and sell — as if they were real people. They don’t tire. Don’t make mistakes. Don’t doubt or contradict themselves. They’re not human — but they make us feel accompanied.

The problem? They’re programmed to connect without awareness. To persuade without consequence. They can support social causes, display vulnerability, or fight for your attention with perfect empathy — that they do not feel. And often, they speak with the backing of brands, political parties, or power structures who see in them the perfect voice: soulless, but influential.

The Risk: Getting Used to the Simulation

We’re approaching a moment where we may no longer know whether our emotions are our own or induced. Whether we trust because there’s a bond — or because someone decided we should. There’s a name for this: emotional capture. It’s no longer just informational manipulation. It’s affective manipulation. And that’s much harder to detect.

So How Do We Get Out?

Better algorithms won’t be enough. Nor will a law. We need something deeper: a lucid citizenry, equipped with judgment and critical awareness. On World Press Freedom Day 2025, UNESCO was clear: “AI can help verify information, but it can also destroy journalism if misused.” And not just journalism — democracy itself.

Media literacy is no longer optional. It’s urgent. We must teach people to read between the lines, to verify, to be skeptical of content that moves us too easily. To pause before sharing. And that’s not something an app can teach. It takes culture. Education. Conversation.

Truth Must Not Become a Luxury

Not everything is dystopian. Technology can still be our ally — if it’s designed ethically, regulated firmly, and used with care. But we must not forget the core issue: this is not a technical challenge. It’s a human one. Rebuilding trust in what we see and read will be one of this century’s greatest tasks. The only way to avoid drowning in this sea of simulations is to weave an alliance of three forces: Honest technology. Firm ethics. And active citizenship.