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WSJ Tech News Briefing · Saturday, August 15, 2026

AI fakes are getting harder to spot; younger generations 'savvy' but not immune

While younger generations might be more tech-savvy due to growing up with digital content, Hani Farid warns that even seasoned fact-checkers can be fooled by sophisticated AI fakes. He notes that older generations are particularly vulnerable due to a learned trust in written information.

personHani FaridpersonMegan

The tape

3 quotes
“Older generations are having more trouble. My parents' generation, soon to be my generation. They're not used to it. They're used to, I read it, therefore it's true.”
Hani Farid
“I mean, honestly, say what you want about Gen Z's and Millennials. They're pretty savvy. They grew up with this.”
Hani Farid
“I was initially fooled by that Pope photo in the jacket.”
Megan
Heard on WSJ Tech News Briefing — “To Spot AI Fakes, Think Like a Digital Forensics Expert”, published Saturday, August 15, 2026. Heardvine summarizes and quotes with attribution and timestamps, and links to the original everywhere.
Transcribed via Gemini audio transcription · $0.04
AI fakes are getting harder to spot; younger generations 'savvy' but not immune — Heardvine