How will the advent of AI impact the autograph collecting industry?

[Garrett Meadows]

Personally, I find AI disturbing. Based on some of the demonstrations of AI's potentiality, it will be difficult to tell where reality ends and fantasy begins.

Will AI be able to create signatures indistinguishable from the real thing?

[Jason H]

Frankly, I'm scared for our hobby as an investment which I started doing a few years ago for my daughter when she was born. For those who don't care about monetary value like me, other than for my daughter, its not the end of the world as long as you obtain all of your autographs in person. 

I made a similar post a while ago and this is what came of it back then. Hopefully people will realize AI is more of a threat now.

https://live.autographmagazine.com/forum/topics/future-proofing-aut...

[Steve Cyrkin, Admin]

Great discussion, Jason!

[Garrett Meadows]

Thank you, Jason H, for the link.

[Steve Cyrkin, Admin]

I think it will ultimately be a good thing, helping to detect fakes, and helping authenticators do their job better.

AI could identify similar style autographs and writings of a person, and give the authenticator similar exemplars.

It can keep a database of forgeries that it compares against submissions to see if they've been submitted somewhere before, or otherwise were determined to be fake.

All sorts of possibilities. Professional authentication will be easier and more reliable with AI, but it will probably not be as helpful for most collectors trying to authenticate.

[Mike Shepherd]

I like your optimism, Steve.  I am being optimistic about AI as well.

[Garrett Meadows]

I hadn't thought of that way. However, my concern is for the uninformed and/or novice collector who is vulnerable to being snookered-----like I was on a couple of occasions. However, my calamity had nothing to do with AI. 

On the other hand, if an AI program were to be made available to the average consumer who then subject whatever autograph they were interested in purchasing, then it would easily dash all those phony JFK, Mickey Mantle, Elvis, etc to pieces in an instant.

[Mike Shepherd]

This would make a great topic for a blog.