Behind the AI Mask

Chapter 2Very Brief History of Synthetic Media

“You're probably wondering how we got here.”

The technology I wielded as Myster Giraffe felt revolutionary, and it was, but the hustle was ancient. Every time I watched someone's face light up with wonder at a deepfake, every time I saw that moment of doubt flicker across their eyes (“Is this real?”), I was witnessing something that has played out for more than 150 years. The tools change, yet the human difficulty in determining real from fake remains constant.

Before we can understand how to defend against today's synthetic threats, we need to understand the hidden pattern. Because the finance worker who wired $25 million to fake executives in Hong Kong wasn't the first victim of manipulated reality. He was just the latest in a long line stretching back to grieving mothers in Boston parlors, paying good money to see their dead sons one more time.

The Analog Era (1870s–1980s): The First Deceptions

In April 1869, William Mumler stood trial for fraud in New York City, where he had fled from growing skepticism in Boston. Mumler claimed to take “spirit photographs” that showed the ghostly images of deceased loved ones appearing alongside living subjects, using double‐exposure techniques to create what appeared to be supernatural encounters. The trial became a sensation that gripped the nation. The Mayor of New York himself had ordered an undercover investigation, sending Marshal Joseph H. Tooker to Mumler's studio posing as a customer. ...