Collapse of Visual Proof

AI tools now produce images and audio that are immediately shareable and convincing enough to move markets and public opinion, meaning visual evidence can no longer be treated as definitive without new provenance or institutional checks. That collapse forces governments, platforms, and newsrooms to build verifiable provenance, rapid forensics, and legal rules for evidentiary standards. — If visual evidence loses its epistemic role, democratic deliberation, emergency response, and market stability all require new technical and institutional mechanisms to reestablish trust.