AI Erodes the Trust Default

AI‑generated imagery and quick synthetic edits are making the default human assumption—'I believe what I see until given reason not to'—harder to sustain in online spaces, especially during breaking events where authoritative context is absent. That leads either to over‑cynicism (disengagement) or reactive amplification of whatever visual claim spreads fastest, both of which undercut journalism, emergency response, and democratic deliberation. — If the public no longer defaults to trusting visual evidence, institutions that rely on shared factual anchors (news media, courts, elections, emergency services) face acute operational and legitimacy risks.