Sandra Ristovska

I realize the link is behind a paywall. If you’re interested in reading the full piece but can’t access it, DM me. I’ll be happy share a pdf.

Police body cameras may be good to have. But they can be misleading in court. - The Boston Globe The legal system wrongly assumes that video always reveals objective truth.

With body cameras making headlines again - and the terrific @lastweektonight.com episode about it - I suggest that “if we want body cameras to make law enforcement more accountable, we must first ensure that the law is even-handed when it comes to cameras.” www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/04/o...

In the age of AI and body cameras, no video speaks for itself - Poynter Video now drives public accountability and viral outrage alike. But bias, editing, delays and AI mean even powerful evidence needs scrutiny.

Video makes us believe we are witnessing events firsthand, but we are not. Aaron Glantz and I co-wrote a piece for the Poynter Institute, sharing six tips to parsing the value of the videos we’re watching: www.poynter.org/ethics-trust...

Chaos in Minneapolis Exposes an Internet at War With Truth

A flood of fakery & dubious content

“We have a very long history of weaponizing and manipulating images. Social media today, coupled with the generative A.I. tools we’re seeing, have taken the problem to an unprecedented level.” -CASBS fellow @sristovska.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/t...

We're pleased to announce the second talk in our Seeking Justice with Video and AI speaker series: Kelly Gates on Feb 20 (11 am - 12 pm MT) via Zoom. This event is open and free, but advanced registration is required: cuboulder.zoom.us/webinar/regi... Co-sponsored by @cumediastudies.bsky.social

Infographic in purple and beige colors. The title at the top is “mutual aid”, in bold, with two arrows pointing upwards. Under the title, a text reads “Google searches for ‘mutual aid’, January 2018 to January 2026”. The first line graph depicts the volume of searches for mutual aid in the US. The line trends upwards in general. 4 peaks are marked and labelled: 1) March 2020, when Covid-19 is declared a pandemic 2) May 2020, when George Floyd is killed 3) February 2021, when Texas faces heavy winter storms and 4) January 2025, when the Second Trump Presidency began. The graph ends in January 2026, when the line has the highest peak of all. In large text, a sentence declares: “During crises, people search for mutual aid: what it is, where to find it, how to do it”. The second line graph depicts the volume of searches for mutual aid in the state of Minnesota. There are two peaks, labelled as 1) May 2020, when George Floyd is killed and 2) January 2026, when the ICE operation began. The January 2026 peak is the highest and shows a vertical growth, indicating the highest volume of searches. At the bottom, there is an indication of the author of the infographic (Elisabetta Ferrari @mutualaidresearch) and of the origin of the data: Google Trends (https://www.google.com/trends).

Over the past 6 years, whenever Americans have faced a crisis – from the pandemic to weather emergencies to state violence – they have turned to grassroots solidarity to help each other. From the streets of Minneapolis to each and every neighborhood, mutual aid is here to stay.

#mutualaid

Video evidence and eyewitness accounts: The science behind why people see different things Why can people watch the same video footage and see different things? Neuroscience can help explain

My colleague @sristovska.bsky.social provides significant analysis regarding the laws and interpretation of video evidence, in the context of recent state violence, at Scientific American.

In the age of generative AI how can we trust what our eyes see? YouTube video by CBC News Saskatchewan

What determines how a person interprets what they see on video? How do you assess the truth or trustworthiness of what you see?

CASBS fellow @sristovska.bsky.social appeared on the CBC News program Blue Sky to discuss these vital, topical, and thorny questions

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEN0...

Deepfakes and the Future of Evidence

Our debut episode of Seeking Justice with Video and AI is now live. It aired earlier today on KVCU Radio 1190 and is available on Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/0LhB...

w/terrific insights form Judge Paul Grimm, Professor Rebecca Delfino, and @riana.bsky.social

Very much looking forward to this talk! It couldn't be more timely and relevant.

We are excited to announce the launch of our Seeking Justice with Video and AI speaker series, featuring Yael Granot on January 23 from 11 am to 12 pm MT via Zoom. Please scan the QR code to register and receive the Zoom link or use this link: cuboulder.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

A Year in Review: Reflecting on Key Highlights from 2025

**April 25** We celebrated our soft launch with the Justice by Video workshop at the Institute of Behavioral Science (IBS) at the University of Colorado Boulder.

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The last Friday introduction of 2025: the fabulous Alexa Koenig who serves on our advisory board. Alexa is a research professor and co-faculty director of the MacArthur Foundation award-winning Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley School of Law, where she also leads the center’s Investigations Program.

"We're risking unfair renderings of justice."

ABC's affiliate in Denver covered the inaugural report issued by the @visualevidencelab.bsky.social, directed by CASBS fellow @sristovska.bsky.social

Full news coverage & access to the report: www.denver7.com/news/local-n...

New CU Boulder report finds criminal justice system needs solutions to address AI, video evidence The inaugural report from the newly founded Visual Evidence Lab at the CU Boulder began with a discussion where experts analyzed the challenges and solutions related to AI within a courtroom.

Our inaugural report, "Video’s Day in Court: Advancing Equitable Legal Usage of Visual Technologies and AI," was highlighted in Denver7 news segment: www.denver7.com/news/local-n...

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Sarah Banet-Weiser with Barbie Zelizer.

Panelists Sandra Ristovska, j. Siguru Wahutu, Richard Stupart and moderator, Valentina Proust

j. Siguru Wahut presenting

Valentina Proust introducing panelists

The first panel on witnessing is happening now 🚨! This morning's panelists include J. Siguru Wahutu, Richard Stupart, and Sandra Ristovska. #BeyondEndurance. @asc.upenn.edu

How are video and AI shaping the pursuit of justice? Check out Seeking Justice with Video and AI, our new speaker series. Featuring leading voices from academia, law, journalism, media forensics, and human rights practice, it will explore the promises and challenges of these technologies. 1/6

So excited that Judge Grimm has joined the advisory board of the @visualevidencelab.bsky.social. Welcome to the team!

Deepfakes and AI in the courtroom: Report calls for legal reforms to address a troubling trend The inaugural report of CU Boulder's new Visual Evidence Lab warns that the legal system is unprepared for the flood of video, including AI-enhanced or

Our inaugural report, "Video's Day in Court: Advancing Equitable Legal Usage of Visual Technologies and AI," was just covered in CU Boulder Today: www.colorado.edu/today/2025/1... 1/4

Promotional poster for the "Beyond Endurance: Reimagining Media Praxis" annual symposium, hosted by the Center for Media at Risk at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication, scheduled for December 4–5. The design features a stylized vintage computer monitor with red tiles dispersing from the screen, symbolizing digital media. The poster highlights keynote speaker André de Quadros on December 4 and interactive panels with artists, journalists, and scholars on December 5. Names of participants and a registration link are included.

There is hope, and we must use it! Join us at our annual symposium next month to envision new possibilities for media research and practice at this time of profound upheaval. Register here: bit.ly/beyondendurance @asc.upenn.edu

At a convening of our board of directors, CASBS fellow @sristovska.bsky.social presented on public & legal concerns about AI & deepfakes' effects on the integrity & reliability of video evidence

A new report from @visualevidencelab.bsky.social explores some of the thorny issues Sandra discussed (🧵)

Informed by dialogues taking place at the intersection of media, technology, and law, our work is inherently interdisciplinary, multi-methodological, and multi-modal. But what do we mean by multi-modal work? 1/5

Extremely happy that Judge Bailin is a member of the advisory board of the @visualevidencelab.bsky.social. Her insights and contributions make a difference to the work we do to advance equitable and responsible use of video and AI technologies in the pursuit of justice.

📣 Inaugural report from @visualevidencelab.bsky.social, directed by CASBS fellow @sristovska.bsky.social

With insights from 20 experts, it identifies key challenges w/video access, interpretation & AI, and proposes ways of improving legal processes regarding the use of video & AI tools as evidence

Promotional poster for the "Beyond Endurance: Reimagining Media Praxis" annual symposium, hosted by the Center for Media at Risk at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication, scheduled for December 4–5. The design features a stylized vintage computer monitor with red tiles dispersing from the screen, symbolizing digital media. The poster highlights keynote speaker André de Quadros on December 4 and interactive panels with artists, journalists, and scholars on December 5. Names of participants and a registration link are included.

There is hope, and we must use it! Join us at our annual symposium next month to envision new possibilities for media research and practice at this time of profound upheaval. Register here: bit.ly/JournalistsUnderFire @asc.upenn.edu

Sora Is Here. The window to save visual truth is closing Opinion: Sam Gregory argues that generative video is undermining the notion of a shared reality, and that we need to act before it’s lost forever

"How we choose to act now will determine whether our shared basis for reality — what we see and hear — remains trustworthy."

Generative video's threat to visual truth and what we can do about it, and why concerted action matters now, in @transformernews.ai

www.transformernews.ai/p/sora-is-he...

Video’s Day in Court, the inaugural report by @visualevidencelab.bsky.social, maps the challenges with video evidence (access and retrieval, interpretation, and AI) and proposed ways forward because civil rights and human rights are at stake. Read and/or download via link below.

Our Racist, Terrifying Deepfake Future Is Here A faked viral video of a white CEO shoplifting is one thing. What happens when an AI-generated video incriminates a Black suspect? That’s coming, and we’re completely unprepared.

Biases & context shape how we view videos, but courts lack guidelines about videos as evidence. Now w/AI & deepfakes, "we’re adding another layer of complexity to a system that hasn’t even fully addressed the challenges of authentic video,” says CASBS fellow @sristovska.bsky.social in @thenation.com

Our Racist, Terrifying Deepfake Future Is Here A faked viral video of a white CEO shoplifting is one thing. What happens when an AI-generated video incriminates a Black suspect? That’s coming, and we’re completely unprepared.

Founding director, @sristovska.bsky.social, and advisory board member, @riana.bsky.social, discussed the legal issues that AI and deepfakes pose in The Nation. Read more about the implications of this technology for justice, civil rights, and human rights here: www.thenation.com/article/soci...

Subscribe to the monthly email newsletter of the @visualevidencelab.bsky.social to learn more about the use of video and AI technologies in court. The newsletter will feature updates about the lab's work, publications, events, fellowship and internship opportunities. @cumediastudies.bsky.social