Image: Agenda Vestlandet, represented here by Siren Sundland, is supporting Media City Bergen and Project Reynir, represented by Helge O. Svela, with 10 million Norwegian kroner. Photo: Thor Brødreskift.
MediaFutures is part of the project Reynir, consisting of editorial and media tech companies, interest organizations, and academics within Media City Bergen’s cluster. Together they develop technological solutions countering threats generated by AI and the spread of misinformation. Now, Agenda Vestlandet has contributed with 10 million Norwegian kroner to the project.
“Project Reynir hits the mark. If we cannot trust what we see, and agree on some basic facts, then we as a society will have a serious problem in the future”, says Siren Sundland, chair of the board at Agenda Vestlandet.
Sundland spoke of a common responsibility to create a better future when announcing the increase in financial support by Agenda Vestlandet.
MediaFutures Center leader, Christoph Trattner, sees the growth of Project Reynir as a significant advancement towards a common goal.
“The C2PA technology represents an important piece in the mosaic of our efforts to combat misinformation in the digital age. Project Reynir is essential in enhancing the technical infrastructure of content verification. Nevertheless, it’s crucial to remember the other integral components of our mission. Within MediaFutures, in collaboration with one of our partners, Faktisk.no, we have long been dedicated to conducting research and projects aimed at authenticating digital content such as the creation of video and image verification during the Ukraine conflict by utilizing artificial intelligence to uncover controversial claims and facts through Factiverse. We are happy that Project Reynir is expanding and simultaneously advancing our collective pursuit.”, he says.
The charitable foundation established by Sparebanken Vest on the West Coast of Norway has previously supported a preliminary project with 2 million Norwegian kroner, and has now given 10 million kroner to the main project. The project lasts until the summer of 2026.
– We have never been more vulnerable
The C2PA technology used in the project helps news consumers verify the origin of audio, video and images and what has happened to them on their way to the user. This is particularly useful for navigating the massive amounts of content generated by generative artificial intelligence.
“Project Reynir provides resilience. We are extremely happy that the money from Agenda Vestlandet allows us to further accelerate this work”, states CEO at Media City Bergen, Helge O. Svela.
Also MediaFutures partner TV2, NRK, Vizrt, Wolftech and Faktisk.no are collaborators in Project Reynir. The long-term goal of Project Reynir is for the entire Norwegian media industry to adopt the solution, and the first media technology companies in the media cluster are now working to
implement the technology. Svela believes the first Norwegian newsrooms will begin using
the solution before the end of the year.
According to Svela, even the White House has indicated an interest in using C2PA technology to secure its communication to the public. In 2023, Media City Bergen was accepted into Project Origin, a consortium including, among others, BBC, New York Times, and Microsoft.