Real People, Real Trust: Safeguarding Corporate Video in the Age of AI Deepfakes
Apr 15, 2025
This is a forward looking article exploring possible futures, not a current representation of our features. But since we like to be ahead of the curve in these important topics, here is our quick take on the matter and some research we did.
1 | A cascade of synthetic faces and voices
Deep-fake technology has sprinted from novelty to board-level risk and fast. In 2024 scammers used a voice-clone of WPP’s CEO in an attempt to order fraudulent payments The Guardian, while a deep-fake CFO convinced an employee at Arup to wire USD 25 million Incode. Social-engineering job scams now routinely include live video avatars that pass for real recruiters WIRED. The result is an erosion of what audiences instinctively trust and like when an “executive” appears on-screen.
2 | Why corporate video is a prime target
Keynotes, investor updates, internal town-halls and public crisis statements are all moments where a single clip can move markets or alter reputations. They are serious. Attackers know they need only persuade one employee - or one journalist - that a synthetic video is genuine to create chaos. At the same time, as you know, communications teams increasingly use virtual sets, AI-assisted editing and automated localisation, creating a larger attack surface and more opportunities for subtle tampering.
3 | Content-credentialism—the industry’s defensive line
A consensus is forming around cryptographically signed “content credentials” that travel with the file from lens to screen and further to storage:
Metadata & Signing – C2PA (Coalition for Content Provenance & Authenticity):
C2PA defines a standard for embedding tamper-evident manifests directly into media files. These manifests document who captured, edited, and exported each asset. The latest version (v1.5) supports images, video, and 3D content. Adobe Premiere (beta) and Truepic have already integrated this standard for seamless signing which could be a great way forward.Ecosystem & Advocacy – Adobe Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI):
CAI focuses on building a full content-authentication ecosystem. It promotes toolchain integration and has released a free app to help creators attach credentials with one click. Major media and tech players like the BBC, The New York Times, and Microsoft are active members.Hardware Capture – Project Origin / BBC Verify:
This layer emphasizes trust from the point of capture. Prototype cameras and studio workflows are being developed to embed provenance data directly into raw footage at the hardware level. The BBC and Microsoft are pioneering this approach.Verification UX – Truepic Lens and Truepic Display:
These tools generate visible trust marks - such as QR codes or clickable overlays - that allow viewers to see a file’s full provenance history. This gives end-users a way to validate whether what they’re watching came from a real source.
Regulators are closing in as well. The EU AI Act obliges anyone distributing synthetic or manipulated video in Europe to label it clearly, with full enforcement due by August 2026 European ParliamentEuropean Parliament. That makes verifiable provenance not just a brand-safety issue but a compliance requirement.
4 | Mirage RealCapture - blending virtual sets with verifiable humans
Mirage’s virtual-production platform already delivers photoreal LED-wall and green-screen environments familiar from high-end film sets. We are considering what could come next, and the next step could be RealCapture:
Human-first workflow – Executives will stand in a certified studio in front of calibrated cinema/digital cameras like they used before.
On-capture signing – Camera firmware hashes every frame and signs a C2PA manifest; Mirage stores an immutable copy in the project vault.
Trusted virtualisation – AI tools handle background generation, lens-match lighting and localisation, but every transform is logged in the manifest.
Credential export – The final file ships with an embedded provenance badge plus an optional QR/URL for public verification.
Real-time validation – Live keynotes can stream manifest data to platforms that display a “Verified Human Source” overlay in players.
The result is a clip that retains all the creative power of real-time 3-D but is provably anchored to a flesh-and-blood speaker.
5 | The premium on certified human presence
As synthetic video floods social feeds, scarcity flips: viewers will treat verified human footage as a premium artefact - like a blue-chip NFT backed by cryptographic proof. Investor-relations portals, press outlets and even internal LMS platforms are already requesting CAI- or C2PA-signed assets as table stakes. Early adopters gain:
Signal-to-noise advantage – Algorithms can surface verified clips by default, throttling un-credentialed uploads.
Regulatory head-start – Meeting EU and forthcoming U.S. disclosure rules before they bite.
Insurance leverage – Cyber-risk underwriters already discount policies when companies deploy provenance tech.
6 | Implementation checklist for communications teams
Audit your pipeline – Map every ingest, edit and export stage; identify where provenance breaks.
Choose certified gear – Upgrade at least one studio to C2PA-enabled cameras or recorders.
Mandate signed exports – Enforce “no manifest, no publish” in your DAM.
Educate stakeholders – Train execs and PR staff to understand QR trust badges and to call out unsigned leaks.
Monitor the wild – Use brand-protection crawlers to flag deep-fake look-alikes early.
Partner with Mirage – Pilot RealCapture™ for your next keynote or quarterly video report.
7 | Looking ahead
Within three years, expect browsers, media players and conferencing apps to flag unsigned corporate video the way email clients flag unknown senders. By building provenance into the pixels today - and by keeping the real decision-maker physically in front of the lens - brands can turn authenticity from a defensive necessity into a strategic asset. Mirage’s approach lets organisations exploit the efficiencies of AI and virtual production without surrendering the irreplaceable trust that comes from a human face you can prove is real.
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