Synthetic media and reality engineering: policy solutions for the EU

In this policy brief, I explore synthetic media: digital artefacts created entirely with generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). These can be visual, auditory, audiovisual or textual, such as deepfake videos or output from large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT. Due to the rapid developments in GenAI technology, it is becoming increasingly easy for anyone to engineer a ‘reality’ with synthetic media. Unlike traditional forms of forgery, synthetic media require no source and are algorithmically crafted. This makes them powerful tools for both creativity and deception.

Synthetic media are everywhere, from viral social media hoaxes to malicious deepfake campaigns. In 2024, fake images of celebrities at the Met Gala fooled millions, while realistically-sounding deepfake robocalls tried to disrupt primary elections in the United States. Such misuses fuel a growing social epistemic crisis, eroding trust in democratic processes by blurring the line between fact and fiction. The real threat lies not just in the convincing nature of synthetic media but in their rapid spread across digital platforms, particularly very large online platforms (VLOPs). Understanding these dynamics is essential to mitigating harm at both individual and societal levels.

This brief offers several policy recommendations to address these challenges under the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) and AI Act.

Key proposals are:

Fortifying investments in digital forensics for early detection of harmful, deceptive media.
Holding social media platforms accountable for enabling and amplifying synthetic media.
Building public resilience through psychological inoculation strategies.


These policies address synthetic media, their enablers, and their societal impact responsibly—without throwing the baby out with the bath water. As such, the policy recommendations support safeguarding creativity and democratic integrity while fortifying trust and safety in the digital age.