Digital identity and transaction security platform company Proof today announced the launch of a new solution aimed at solving the problem of falsified content, deepfakes and digital impersonation that artificial intelligence has dramatically exacerbated.

Called Certify, the new solution seeks to address the proliferation of fake documents, images, videos and data driven by generative AI to the point where it’s indistinguishable from reality. Proof argues that although fake media and misinformation have garnered the most attention, the real danger in AI lies in its ability to forge signatures, falsify records, impersonate one’s voice on the phone, or fake a person’s likeness on video.

Certify enables instant, legally accepted digital signing of any content, whether financial, legal or personal, using a verified legal identity. The service cryptographically signs all media and data to generate irrefutable digital evidence that cannot be counterfeited by generative AI. With Certify, identities are embedded in everything done online to create verifiable records that anyone can instantly trust, the company says.

Examples of where Certify can be used include tax returns submitted with certainty in the filer’s identity, images and videos with cryptographic proof of the creator, records and documents that organizations can verify are genuine, wire instructions so that treasury departments can trust the information submitted, and legal agreements that cannot be forged or disputed as fake.

“In an era where AI can generate perfect deepfakes and falsify any document, cryptographic proof of identity and authenticity of records is existential,” said Proof Chief Executive Pat Kinsel. “It’s becoming a lot harder to answer, ‘Was this really you?’ Everything we believe and accept as real needs to rely on verifiable records.”

Proof claims Certify verifiable records will supplant any digital asset that is accepted by existing legal frameworks — documents, images, video, audio and structured data, making it possible to authenticate all forms of media to ensure provenance and accountability in an era where digital forgeries are proliferating. Organizations can immediately verify the authenticity of any evidence they receive, without requiring users to present their identification every time.

Along with the launch of Certify, Proof today also announced the availability of the Identity Authorization Network, where consumers can save their verified biometric identity once and instantly true-sign any media and data across the Proof platform. The digital identity eliminates the need for repeated onboarding and establishes a chain of trust with every authorization, since there’s an inextricable link between an identity and the record it produces.

“AI has created an authenticity crisis that demands a new approach to digital trust,” Kinsel added. “Most identity solutions are focused on presentation of your ID, but in order to truly become the identity layer for the internet, we need to ensure that all data that is transmitted and trusted can be watermarked with your identity.”

Proof, legally known as Notarize Inc., is a venture capital-backed startup that has raised $244 million over seven rounds, according to data from Tracxn. Investors in the company include Canapi Ventures, TrueBridge Capital Partners, CapitalG LP, Camber Creek, Ludlow Ventures, Fifth Wall Ventures, Citi Ventures Inc., Second Century Ventures and Wells Fargo & Co.

Image: Proof