We have never had so much content, data and choice. And we have never asked so often whether something is real. Three debates show the same hunger from different angles.

Analog or digital data

A handwritten note from a doctor, a paper form signed by a patient, a sensor that records a heartbeat every second. We tend to trust the first two more, even though the third is far more precise. Analog sources feel authentic because we can see where they come from. Digital sources feel abstract because their origin is hidden behind a screen.

The lesson for anyone building systems: precision is not enough. People trust data whose path they can follow.

AI-generated content: endless possibilities or a limit to creativity?

Generative AI can produce a thousand images or texts in the time a person needs for one. That abundance is real, and so is its side effect: when everything is possible, everything starts to look alike. Models learn from what already exists, so their default output drifts towards the average.

Creativity doesn’t disappear. It moves. The valuable part becomes the intention, the choice, the editing, and the honesty about how something was made. The images on this journal are a good example: some are generated, and they are labelled as such in their files. Saying so costs nothing and keeps trust intact.

Organic or GM food

Food is where the hunger for authenticity is most literal. “Organic” describes a way of producing, with rules on pesticides and fertilisers. It does not guarantee that a product is more nutritious. Genetically modified crops approved for sale have been assessed as safe to eat by major scientific bodies, yet many people remain wary of them.

Here too, the debate is less about molecules than about origin and control: who decided, who benefits, and can I check?

What we are really asking for

In all three cases, “authentic” doesn’t mean analog, human-made or natural. It means traceable: I can see where it comes from, who made it, and how. That is good news for anyone designing products, because traceability can be built. Cite your sources. Label what is generated. Show the path of the data.