AI-Generated Deepfakes and the Crisis of Legal Authenticity: Reconstructing Evidentiary Standards in the Digital Age

The rapid proliferation of AI-generated deepfakes has created a critical challenge for contemporary legal systems by undermining the authenticity of digital evidence and exposing individuals to new forms of harm. This study examines how synthetic media destabilizes established principles of evidence, privacy, and accountability, creating a crisis of legal authenticity. The purpose of the research is to evaluate the adequacy of current legal frameworks and to propose a structured regulatory response to deepfake-driven risks. Using a comparative legal-analytical approach, the study examines regulatory developments in the United States, European Union, China, and South Asia, and applies critical discourse analysis to assess emerging doctrines on digital manipulation. The findings reveal substantial gaps in evidentiary standards, limited platform liability mechanisms, and the absence of harmonized international norms governing synthetic media. The study concludes that traditional evidentiary presumptions are insufficient for an era in which falsified content is indistinguishable from the real. It proposes a three-pillar regulatory framework—authenticity infrastructure, platform gatekeeping, and cross-border harmonization to strengthen legal protections and preserve trust in judicial and democratic institutions