Microbial masquerade: The rise of the synthetic specimen (infocus #83 September 2026)

Microscopy is the science of seeing for oneself. From Leeuwenhoek’s single lenses to the digital instruments of today, its authority rests on the honest recording of what is actually observed under the objective.

DOI: 10.22443/rms.inf.1.327

That authority is now under subtle but serious pressure. A growing volume of synthetic images and videos of faked microorganisms – generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and circulated as educational or scientific material – is presenting non-existent or grossly distorted specimens as fact.

Students, teachers and the wider public are being shown convincing pictures of cells and microbes that have never existed.

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