The New New has long explored how we disclose the role of AI in media creation, from AI Contribution Badges to AI Nutrition Labels and Content Credentials. While that momentum builds, society has officially entered the “deep doubt” era.

The next step in this inevitable journey: proving you’re actually a person online.

Researchers at MIT, OpenAI, and Microsoft are proposing “personhood credentials” – a system that exploits AI’s limitations to combat deceptive bots, remove fake profiles, boost trust online, and keep our social media feeds more human.

The proposed system would verify your humanity online without revealing personal details. To get one, you might need to visit a trusted organization and show your ID. This credential, stored like a digital wallet card, could be used by platforms to filter bots.

These developments, which join California’s (still evolving) push for AI watermarking laws, underscore the growing importance of transparency in an AI-infused world.

As AI evolves, so will the tools to identify and verify its—and our own—contributions to the digital world.