can no longer tell real from fake due to AI

8 in 10 Dutch people

Imagine receiving a message from your partner asking you to transfer money urgently, or getting a phone call from someone who sounds exactly like your manager. These scenarios are becoming increasingly convincing due to the use of AI. As a result, 78 per cent of Dutch people find it harder to distinguish between what is real and what is fake. This is according to research conducted by IT and business transformation service provider Conclusion among 1,003 respondents in the Netherlands. 

The difficulty in distinguishing real from fake affects all age groups. Among young people aged 16 to 29, 71 per cent say they struggle with this. Among those aged 60 to 69, the figure rises to 85 per cent. 

Many Dutch people automatically assume that a message or phone call from someone they know can be trusted: 55 per cent rarely question its authenticity. Among young people aged 16 to 29, this increases to 60 per cent, compared with 47 per cent among those aged 60 to 69. As a result, younger people in particular are vulnerable to fraud involving deepfake voices or messages that appear to come from someone they know. 

Roel Gloudemans, Director IT Risk & Compliance at Conclusion, explains: “Because young people are used to communicating quickly and frequently in digital environments, they tend to trust messages from people they know more easily. This makes them especially susceptible to deepfake voices and misleading messages that are becoming increasingly convincing. The risk is shifting from ‘can you recognise it?’ to ‘do you dare to question it?’.” 

Despite widespread concern about AI‑driven manipulation, the vast majority of people are not taking preventive measures. Only 13 per cent have agreed a code word with family or friends to recognise AI‑based fraud such as voice cloning or deepfake videos. At the same time, more than 40 per cent believe that people who fall victim to AI‑related scams are naïve. 

This judgement is strongest among younger respondents: 48 per cent of those aged 16 to 29 consider victims naïve, compared with 37 per cent among those aged 60 to 69. 

Cynicism also plays a role. Nearly three in ten Dutch people (29 per cent) say they sometimes think there is little point in being cautious with AI, because hackers and AI systems will always be one step ahead. This sentiment is most prevalent among 30‑ to 39‑year‑olds, where 37 per cent share this view. 

“Without joint action from citizens, businesses and government, the risk grows every day,” Gloudemans warns. “We need to strengthen our digital resilience before the damage becomes truly significant.”