Column Saskia Stender: What’s still real?

Recently, the police rushed to a scene in large numbers. Not because of a real break-in, but because a teenager had used AI to post a fake message about a homeless man being in their house. Complete with realistic images. Sitting on the couch, drinking coffee in the kitchen, even lying in bed. Within minutes, the police were at the door. It was a joke. At least, that was the intention. But what happens when a joke turns into a serious situation with real consequences?

We live in a time when anyone can create, share, and make people believe almost anything (myself included 😊). The technology is now so advanced that with just a few clicks, you can create a convincing video of something that never happened. And that’s frightening. Because who checks whether it’s true? And more importantly: who feels responsible for the consequences?

With AI, fact-checking is essential. It’s not an option, but a necessity. The system doesn’t distinguish between serious or satire, truth or fiction. AI has no sense of nuance, no moral compass. And that’s exactly why we must have one.

Still, it’s not just an AI problem. People also spread falsehoods—knowingly or unknowingly. The difference is that we can still hold people accountable. We can ask questions, dig deeper, make judgments. Even though that’s no guarantee of truth either. With an online ‘agent,’ it works entirely different. It speaks to you without context, without a face, without a conscience. Yet we expect correct answers—and accept much of it without question.

So yes, we’d rather do business with people. Thankfully. But even then: keep asking questions. Stay critical. Keep thinking for yourself. Once, you could believe your own eyes. Now, even that is something you have to question.

Saskia Stender
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