SSP Forum: Ann Grimes on digital authenticity

The
Symbolic Systems Forum
(community sessions of SYMSYS 280 - Symbolic Systems Research Seminar)
presents

Trusting Digital Content in the Age of AI: How might we Design Modern Information Ecosystems for Authenticity?

Ann Grimes
Starling Lab for Data Integrity

Monday, Novemver 3, 2025
12;30-1:20 pm PT
Computing and Data Science Building, Room E145
In-person event, not recorded

Note: Lunch is provided, if pre-ordered, only for members of SYMSYS 280, but others are welcome to bring a lunch and eat during the presentation.

Abstract:

The Internet is at an inflection point. As AI and synthetic media explode, the world's digital knowledge faces unprecedented threats. At the same time, a new generation of web technologies known as "Web3" offer new opportunities to protect the security and integrity of data. This talk will outline a new framework developed by the Starling Lab for Data Integrity designed to understand and deploy methods to restore trust in digital content whether it's news and information, legally admissible evidence, or tamper-proof archives. We will explore the research principle of “Authenticity by Design” which shifts the focus to authenticating content upstream, not downstream. Case studies will illustrate how embedding provenance metadata at the point of capture can provide cryptographically protected information about a file’s complete history: who created it, what tools were used, and modifications made.