Gruber Distinguished Lecture in Global Justice: Sam Gregory

Sam Gregory, Executive Director of WITNESS, gave the Spring 2025 Gruber Distinguished Lecture on Global Justice titled “Fortifying Truth, Trust and Evidence in the Face of Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology” on March 24, 2025.

Gregory's lecture examines how photos and videos — vital sources of human rights documentation, evidence, and storytelling — are becoming less trusted in a climate of factual skepticism and technological advances allowing deepfakes and AI-generated content. Gregory discussed how human rights defenders meet an escalating burden of proof amid growing authoritarianism and failing human rights systems.

The lecture was co-moderated by Jim Silk ’89, Binger Clinical Professor Emeritus of Human Rights at Yale Law School, and David Simon, Assistant Dean for Graduate Education, Senior Lecturer in Global Affairs, and director of the Genocide Studies Program at Yale University.