The Authenticity Crisis

AI-generated images, video, and text are becoming indistinguishable from human-created content. Deepfakes can fabricate statements from public figures. AI art can replicate any style. Language models can produce articles, code, and correspondence that reads as human-written.

The question is no longer "can AI create convincing content?" but rather "how do we verify what's real?"

Why Timestamps Matter

Proving authenticity requires answering three questions:

1. When was this content created?
2. Who created it?
3. Has it been modified since creation?

Traditional approaches (metadata, certificates, trusted third parties) all depend on centralized authorities that can be compromised, pressured, or simply go offline.

Arweave provides immutable timestamps. Once content is stored on Arweave, the transaction includes a cryptographic timestamp that cannot be altered. This creates a tamper-proof provenance record.

Numbers Protocol

Numbers Protocol uses Arweave to store cryptographically signed media provenance records. Their infrastructure handles:

• 6 billion monthly gateway requests
• Coverage across 190 countries
• Cryptographic signing at the moment of capture

Capture App

The Capture App is Numbers Protocol's consumer-facing product. It functions as a "blockchain camera" that:

1. Signs content at the moment of creation with the creator's private key
2. Generates a provenance record including device info, GPS coordinates, and timestamp
3. Stores the record permanently on Arweave

Once a provenance record is on Arweave, it cannot be altered or deleted. Anyone can verify when the content was created, on what device, and whether it has been modified.

How Provenance Records Work

A typical provenance record on Arweave contains:

• Creator: Wallet address of the signer
• Timestamp: Block timestamp from Arweave (immutable)
• Content hash: SHA-256 hash of the original content
• Device information: Camera, app version, operating system
• Location: GPS coordinates (optional)
• Signature: Cryptographic signature proving the creator's identity

This record is a permanent, verifiable certificate of authenticity. If someone claims a photo was taken at a specific time and place, the Arweave record either confirms or denies it.

Applications Beyond Photography

The provenance model extends to any content type:

• Journalism: Verify that footage is original and unedited
• Legal evidence: Establish chain of custody for digital evidence
• Scientific research: Prove when data was collected and by whom
• Government records: Create tamper-proof archives of official documents
• Creative work: Establish creation dates for copyright purposes

The AI Training Problem

As AI models are trained on internet data, questions arise about what data was used, when it was collected, and whether proper attribution exists. Arweave's permanent records can provide verifiable provenance for training data, creating accountability in the AI supply chain.

Why Arweave Specifically

Other blockchains can timestamp data. But Arweave offers properties that are specifically valuable for provenance:

• Permanent storage: The actual content can be stored alongside the provenance record, not just a hash pointing to data that might disappear
• Low cost: Provenance records are small and inexpensive to store
• No recurring fees: Records exist permanently without ongoing costs
• Decentralized verification: Anyone can verify records through any gateway

What This Means

In a world where any content can be fabricated, the ability to prove authenticity becomes a fundamental utility. Arweave provides the infrastructure for a permanent, tamper-proof record of what was created, when, and by whom. This is not about detecting AI content. It is about proving the provenance of authentic content.