An Arizona appeals court tossed a 10-year manslaughter sentence because the judge relied on an AI-generated video of the dead victim speaking, a warning sign for anyone worried about fake media entering the legal system.

• The victim's sister made an AI version of her brother, using his face and voice, to deliver a statement at sentencing — believed to be the first time this happened in a US court.
• The appeals court said the words were invented, nobody disclosed who wrote them, and there was no proof they matched what he actually thought.
• The video talked about forgiveness and did not ask for a punishment, yet the judge handed down a harsher sentence anyway.
• The obvious problem cuts both ways: a defense team could just as easily fake a victim asking for no jail time.
• Separately, a startup is claiming its new model can hold a video call convincing enough to pass for a real person, which points to a wave of fake calls and scams.

Outlook: Expect courts to start writing rules on AI-made evidence, with the man now facing resentencing.