Today we take a look at how deepfakes and generative AI threaten democratic institutions and public trust. We explore synthetic media as highly realistic forgeries that enable the manipulation of public perception at scale, citing real-world examples of their use in election interference across countries like Slovakia, India, and the United States. Furthermore, we analyze the societal effect of eroding trust, introducing the concept of the “liar’s dividend,” where genuine evidence is cynically dismissed as fake due to general skepticism about media authenticity. Finally, we discuss the ongoing global policy responses and technological countermeasures, emphasizing that a combination of regulation, education, and detection tools is required to combat this rapidly advancing form of disinformation.