• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, September 18, 2024

Americans are so worried about misinformation in this election year that they are wary of so-called legitimate media.

For instance, 74% have doubted the authenticity of photos or videos on reputable news sites, according to Authenticity in the Age of AI, a study by Adobe. 

With good reason: 94% worry that the spread of misinformation will impact the 2024 election. And 85% believe it has spread in the past three months. 

What’s more, 44% feel they have been misled by election-related misinformation in that same period of time. And 83% fear foreign interference in the upcoming election. 

This is discouraging for anyone trying to follow the political debate. 

“Without a way to verify the authenticity of digital content, we’re approaching a breaking point where the public will no longer believe the things they see and hear online, even when they are true,” says Jace Johnson, vice president, global public policy at Adobe.

What would reassure people? Publishers, take note.  

For one thing, 90% would like to see attribution details attached to online content.  

That’s especially critical when it comes to election-related news — 95% want attribution details so they can fact-check the information themselves. 

And, overall, 78% say having attribution on official election content would strengthen their trust in its authenticity.  

Moreover, 68% would like to be able to attach attribution information to content they capture via a smartphone or smart device. And 87% want the ability to display those details when they share content publicly—for instance, on social media. 

Another protection is Content Credentials, a technology available through the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI), of which Adobe is a part. 

“Now more than ever," says Johnson, "we need widespread adoption of tools like Content Credentials – a ‘nutrition label’ for digital content to give the public verifiable information about what they see online before they place their trust in it.” 

But it may be a long battle: 87% say that the rise of generative AI has made it more challenging to discern fact from fiction online.

Adobe worked with Advanis to survey 2,002 respondents in August.