At NAB 2025, a powerful discussion unfolded about trust, technology, and the need to preserve real human data in a world increasingly saturated with synthetic content. Moderated by Emmy-winning creator Michaela A. Temasky-Holland, the panel featured OpenOrigins founders Manny Ahmed and Ari Abelson.
In a world where manipulated media and synthetic content proliferate at an alarming rate, the question of what’s real has become more urgent than ever. At NAB 2025, Michaela A. Temasky-Holland led a compelling conversation with OpenOrigins founders Manny Ahmed and Ari Abelson on the future of digital authenticity and the need to safeguard human-generated data in an increasingly AI-driven ecosystem.
The Problem: Deepfakes, Distrust, and Data Decay
Temasky-Holland opened the conversation by touching on a relatable scenario: taking a personal photo and sharing it online. Years later, that same image resurfaces—altered beyond recognition and divorced from its original context. “I want to be able to say, ‘No, this is real. This is my photo, taken with my best friend on my 30th birthday,’” she said. “How do we verify that when platforms can’t—or won’t—protect the original?”
The answer, as Ahmed and Abelson explained, lies in anchoring the data at the moment of capture. OpenOrigins creates a tamper-proof record of media using blockchain, allowing users to attach contextual information and verify a file’s authenticity long after it’s been shared.
Capturing the Truth—Literally
“When a photo is taken, we capture a 3D depth map along with metadata to prove the moment and manner of capture,” Ahmed explained. “Even if someone screenshots, edits, or reshares that image, the proof of its original form and origin is immutable because it’s anchored to our blockchain infrastructure.”
This method isn’t just for journalists or digital artists—it’s for anyone using digital media in any capacity. “We’re all data generators now,” Temasky-Holland pointed out. “Whether you’re using dating apps or documenting your work, you want to know that what you see—and share—is real.”
A New Layer of Trust in the Digital Supply Chain
The implications go far beyond personal photos. Abelson emphasized that in just a few years—or perhaps even months—it will be necessary to verify every piece of digital media, from insurance claims to Zoom calls. “You’ll need to prove that the voice or face on the other side of the screen is real, and that the evidence you submit hasn’t been tampered with,” he said. “We’re building that infrastructure now.”
OpenOrigins is working with media companies, archives, and content creators to establish reliable frameworks for content verification. They offer bulk ingestion of archives, recurring support services, and lightweight transaction models for individual users to anchor and manage their media libraries.
Monetizing Human Data—and Protecting It
Beyond verification, OpenOrigins is exploring how human-generated data—photos, videos, audio—can become a monetizable asset. As synthetic data becomes more common, AI models are at risk of feeding on their own outputs, creating echo chambers and reducing the reliability of future generations.
“This is where human data becomes not just valuable—but essential,” said Ahmed. “AI models need high-quality, verified human input to stay grounded in reality. We’re helping creators, journalists, and nonprofits turn their authentic content into revenue-generating assets by licensing verified archives to AI companies and media platforms.”
OpenOrigins also acts as a broker, helping small archives connect with large buyers seeking massive volumes of verified content. “A small archive with 10,000 hours of clean, proven content could be incredibly valuable to companies looking to avoid synthetic contamination,” said Abelson. “We help package and present that data in a way that meets those needs.”
Why It Matters—Now
In a digital world teeming with misinformation, the ability to trust what we see, hear, and share is vanishing. Watermarks can be stripped. Screenshots distort the truth. Synthetic media blurs the line between fiction and reality. “We’re looking at pixel-level mathematical proof,” said Ahmed. “It’s not about how something looks—it’s about how the data behind it stands up.”
For creators, consumers, and companies alike, OpenOrigins represents a new foundation for digital trust—a way to preserve truth at scale in an age of fabrication. As Temasky-Holland aptly put it, “This isn’t just about technology. It’s about reclaiming our stories, our images, and our data from a system that no longer protects them.”