A research ready by the power’s Future Foresight Centre says the problem is increasing past figuring out fabricated materials to establishing that genuine content material has not been manipulated. It identifies potential penalties for public security, info credibility and selections counting on digital proof.
The evaluation highlights two linked threats: criminals exploiting artificial photos and voices for fraud and impersonation, and the likelihood that real recordings shall be dismissed as fabricated. Each developments might complicate how investigators, organisations and members of the general public assess info.
Skilled Brigadier Dr Hamdan Ahmad Hamdan Al Ghassiya, director of the centre, mentioned generative AI was turning into more and more able to reproducing faces and voices and producing practical audiovisual materials. Such capabilities might facilitate id theft, digital deception and the manipulation of knowledge, he mentioned.
The research cautions that technological enhancements might make it more durable to tell apart genuine recordings from artificially generated ones. Larger suspicion of digital materials might additionally have an effect on proof that has not been altered, elevating questions in regards to the reliability of knowledge offered to investigators and determination makers.
Police subsequently emphasised the significance of building the origin, authenticity and integrity of digital content material. Verification, the research suggests, should deal with not solely whether or not suspicious materials is fabricated but additionally whether or not apparently legit materials could be proven to be real.
The evaluation doesn’t recommend that each one digital recordings are unreliable. Reasonably, it identifies a possible shift within the burden dealing with these assessing them as subtle manipulation instruments turn out to be extra accessible. The priority extends to people and companies in addition to regulation enforcement businesses.
Al Ghassiya described the scenario as a twin safety problem. Fabricated materials may very well be used to deceive victims or unfold false info, whereas doubts about genuine content material might complicate investigations and selections. He referred to as for safety organisations to strengthen their capabilities earlier than rising threats turn out to be widespread.
The centre advocates monitoring technological developments, figuring out early warning indicators, assessing potential dangers and inspecting attainable future eventualities. That method would enable safety authorities to organize for brand new types of digital deception fairly than relying completely on responses after offences emerge.
The analysis additionally identifies alternatives to make use of synthetic intelligence towards manipulated content material. Analytical instruments can look at pictures, audio and video for indications of alteration, doubtlessly supporting detection and verification. Improved digital forensic strategies might assist investigators assess the authenticity of fabric submitted as proof.
Nonetheless, the research stresses that automated detection just isn’t ample by itself. Public consciousness, digital verification expertise and accountable remedy of knowledge are additionally mandatory, alongside institutional procedures that enable organisations to reply to evolving threats.
The warning comes as misinformation stays a distinguished concern in worldwide threat assessments. The World Financial Discussion board’s International Dangers Report 2026 ranked misinformation and disinformation because the second most vital world threat over a two-year horizon, a discovering cited within the police research.
The power’s evaluation doesn’t announce new legal penalties or a change to guidelines governing the admissibility of proof. Its focus is on anticipating technological developments and bettering preparedness amongst safety establishments and the broader neighborhood.
The research was issued throughout Cybersecurity Consciousness Month, noticed in October, and is linked to the Ministry of Inside’s Secure UAE By Your Digital Consciousness marketing campaign. The initiative entails Dubai Police and the Dubai Digital Safety Middle and seeks to enhance public understanding of on-line crime and cybersecurity dangers.
The findings additionally distinguish between the creation of convincing false materials and the erosion of confidence that may comply with. An genuine clip may entice suspicion just because comparable footage can now be manufactured. For investigators, that makes the circumstances by which materials was obtained and preserved necessary.
The research locations accountability throughout teams fairly than treating deepfake detection as a job for specialists alone. People must assess questionable communications, organisations want verification processes, and safety businesses want experience. These measures are offered as complementary safeguards, not ensures towards deception or mistaken assessments.
The Future Foresight Centre examines rising applied sciences and their implications for policing, together with methods to enhance institutional planning and determination making. Its newest evaluation considers each the safety dangers related to artificial media and the potential for verification know-how to assist investigative work.
