This session looks at how trusted-tech can strengthen political communication and professional journalism in the age of AI slop and complex state-run disinformation campaigns. 

Tim Polzehl (Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz and Founder of Gretchen AI) will address one of the urgent questions many people are asking today: How can we detect manipulated or fake images—and how can we attribute origin and intentions behind them? This session puts a strong focus on that challenge by explaining state-of-the-art deepfake detection for both professional users and everyday citizens, grounded in the latest scientific insights.

While fact-checks and journalistic everyday work will still be shaped by humans, technology can help not only in detecting increasingly perfect-looking fakes but also ease verification workflows without compromising journalistic standards. To make this tangible, the session will include a live demo with audience participation so participants can see in real time how trusted-tech supported verification works and what it can (and cannot) do.