Have we reached peak verification?
Sat 18 April 2026
09:30
Free
Calculating distance...
As the tools to spot AI-generated video and synthetic content grow more sophisticated, OSINT newsgathering and verification faces an existential challenge in newsrooms. Will there still be a place for journalistic rigor in this process? Will verification shift from detecting fakes to proving provenance? Are standards like C2PA, blockchain-based content authentication and watermarking the future of trust in journalism? Will we ever be able to fully protect against AI-generated audio?
Moderated by Joanna Webster.
Organised in association with Reuters.
Modified more than a month ago
Event collection
Pages involved
Kolina Koltai
Kolina Koltai is a senior researcher and trainer at Bellingcat. She has been leading Bellingcat in investigating sexually explicit AI deepfake services. An expert in how sociotechnical systems influence the decision making of social groups, she is a former postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for an Informed Public at the University of Washington and a former research associate at NASA. She recently appeared on CBS’s 60 Minutes and has upcoming collaborations with documentaries on her work into this topic.
George Sargent
George Sargent is the Global Visual Verification and Newsgathering Editor for Reuters.
Benjamin Strick
Benjamin Strick is a digital investigator with a background in law, military and technology, specialising in open source intelligence (OSINT), investigations, information warfare, data and maps. He has applied these skills to document human rights abuses, war crimes and influence operations across the world working with international media to create multi-award-winning investigative documentaries and assist civil society. He shares his passion for open source investigations through free YouTube tutorials to democratise these skills. Ben is the Director of Investigations at the Centre for Information Resilience and was previously an open source investigator with BBC Africa Eye, is a Bellingcat contributor and co-founder of Ocelli Project. In 2021 he was awarded Open Source Intelligence Champion of the Year for investment, commitment and contribution to the field. Ben is known for investigating Cameroonian executions, taking down influence operations targeting human rights, working...
Joanna Webster
Jo Webster is the Global Editor for Agency News Strategy at Reuters. She creates strategy for Reuters award-winning video, pictures and text teams, helping the newsroom anticipate and meet existing and future needs of the world’s major broadcasters, technology platforms and digital media organisations. Prior to this role she was Global Managing Editor for Video and Photography. Jo joined Reuters in 2009 as a senior producer for Insider Financial TV. In 2015, she launched Reuters TV – a flagship consumer TV offering designed to showcase Reuters award-winning journalism and geographical reach on cutting-edge digital platforms. Jo started her career in the trade press and had a front row seat to the 2007 financial crisis as a producer and on-screen reporter for CNBC Television. Outside of Reuters, Jo is a trustee and deputy chair for the National Council for the Training of Journalists in the UK.
Festival Internazionale del Giornalismo
Il Festival Internazionale del Giornalismo di Perugia è un evento annuale che riunisce professionisti dei media, esperti di comunicazione e appassionati di informazione da tutto il mondo. Si svolge nel centro storico di Perugia e offre conferenze, dibattiti, workshop e opportunità di networking sui temi più rilevanti del giornalismo contemporaneo.