As artificial intelligence (AI)-generated personas and deepfakes become increasingly sophisticated, online qualitative research faces urgent challenges to trust and authenticity. This commentary explores how hyperreal digital deception intersects with core qualitative commitments to care, access, and participant co-authorship. Drawing on crip, feminist, and decolonial methodologies, we critique the limitations of verification practices – such as mandatory video or ID checks – that often reinforce ableist, racialized, and classed norms of believability. Rather than turning to surveillance, we propose relational ethics and practical strategies to navigate AI deception with discernment. We argue for new frameworks that uphold research integrity while protecting participant dignity in the digital age.
Martino et al. (Thu,) studied this question.