**In Legal Crossfire, AI-Generated ‘Witnesses’ Are Now Testifying in Court – Privacy Advocates Warn of a New Digital Reality**
Crossfire over the future of justice erupted this week as a landmark U.S. federal case became the first to admit testimony from an AI-generated ‘digital witness’—a synthetic reconstruction of a deceased victim’s voice, memories, and mannerisms. The ruling, hailed by prosecutors as a leap forward for cold-case resolution, has sparked a fierce crossfire between civil liberties groups and tech giants. By 2035, experts predict, AI witnesses could be standard in 70% of trials, raising the specter of manipulated memories and the “ghost in the machine” reshaping evidence itself. Privacy advocates are already calling this the dawn of a ‘reality crossfire,’ where the line between human truth and algorithmic fiction blurs beyond repair.