WITNESS: Is this real or AI?

How do we establish the authenticity of video when the truth is constantly in question? And how can we proactively adapt to the transformative shifts in communication brought by AI?

WITNESS is a global organization that is inviting Wikimedia Europe communities to join two sessions dedicated to understanding current state of audiovisual generative AI and ways to detect AI generated content.

Sessions initiated by Camille Françoise (Wikimedia France).

Key info

Dates: Thursday, February 5th and Wednesday, February 11th 2026
Time: 17:00 - 18:30 PM CET
Where: Online, link will be shared via e-mail
Registration is now closed
Organizers: Wikimedia Europe and Wikimedia France
Participation is free of charge.

Who can join?

Wikimedia Europe member organisations & communities: their staff and local Wikipedians, volunteers etc.
Journalists / media workers / fact checkers and friendly organisations invited by our network members - feel free to forward information to relevant professionals you collaborate with

About our experts

WITNESS is a global organization that helps people everywhere harness the power of video and audiovisual technology to tell their stories, document the truth, and defend human rights – today and in a future increasingly shaped by AI.

WITNESS works across five continents to equip activists, journalists, fact-checkers, and other human rights defenders with the tools, skills, and strategies needed to navigate this shifting landscape.

Our facilitators for these sessions will be Zuzanna Wojciak and shirin anlen.

Program

Session 1: overview of the generative AI and synthetic media capabilities in the context of elections.

Introduction to the concept of a deepfake and improvements we've seen in deepfakes in the last few years.
Examples of use of deepfakes in the context of elections (for example, in campaigns, to deceive voters, for outreach etc).
Generative AI evolution and capabilities: examples of different generative AI techniques.
Risks and effects of generative AI around elections.

Session 2: overview of current detection approaches and solutions.

An overview of two mitigation approaches to threats of audiovisual generative AI: provenance and detection.
Explanation of how AI detection techniques work.
Detection equity gap: the difference between the technical capabilities of AI detection tools and their practical ability to support journalists and fact-checkers globally.
Introduction to the Deepfakes Rapid Response Force and the examples of cases we've analysed in the past.
Interactive exercise on responsible reporting using AI detection tools.