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University of Michigan Innovation Partnerships
University of Michigan Innovation Partnerships
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ProbeTruth, a New U-M Startup, Detecting the Hidden Nuances that Reveal Fraud and Deception

12/4/2025

As technology advances, nearly every aspect of life faces the potential for digital alteration. Nowhere is this issue more immediately relevant than in the courtroom, where advancements in photo, video and audio manipulation software have made it increasingly possible to alter evidence undetectably. ProbeTruth, a new University of Michigan (U-M) startup, is aiming to change that.

ProbeTruth is an artificial intelligence (AI) company specializing in deepfake detection and analysis in legal, financial and cybersecurity markets. In September, the company joined the Innovation Partnerships team to celebrate officially launching as a U-M startup with a bell ringing ceremony. Representing ProbeTruth at the event were:

  • MJ Cartwright, CEO of Probetruth 
  • Khalid Malik, CTO of Probetruth, Director of Cyber Security and Professor of Computer Science, College of Innovation and Technology, The University of Michigan-Flint 
  • Ken Sylvester, Office of Research Director and Adjunct Research Associate Professor of History, College of Arts, Sciences and Education, The University of Michigan-Flint

ProbeTruth’s origins trace back to 2018, when Khalid Malik began investigating the impacts of deepfakes on society. Drawing on his expertise in AI and cybersecurity, Malik developed technology that utilizes novel multimodal AI models to detect falsification within digital files. The proactive approach behind ProbeTruth allows the software to identify not only known types of audio and visual manipulation but also to detect novel, previously unseen fakes. ProbeTruth’s explainable reports make its findings and the reasoning behind them clear to non-technical audiences, supporting more effective use in legal contexts. This research was developed with support from a grant from the National Science Foundation.

“One of the most rewarding aspects of our work at Innovation Partnerships is supporting startups that address urgent societal needs,” said Ashwathi Iyer, associate director of software, content licensing and research partnerships and licensing manager for ProbeTruth. “Deepfakes are certainly among the pressing issues of our time, and we’re excited to see ProbeTruth continue to develop solutions to meet this challenge.”

To advance his research, Malik connected with the MTRAC Advanced Computing Innovation Hub at Wayne State University, looking for relationships to build his company. In addition to providing a funding award to support Malik’s research, MTRAC Advanced Computing introduced him to MJ Cartwright, an entrepreneur and Innovation Partnerships mentor-in-residence, whose background in commercializing technology for the legal sector proved invaluable for the progression of ProbeTruth.

In 2018 and 2019, Cartwright and Malik participated in the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps program, securing funding to develop the Deepfake Detection technology. Further support came in 2020 and 2022 from the MTRAC Advanced Computing program, bolstering ProbeTruth’s neurosymbolic and multimodal AI  detection capabilities.

In 2023, Malik deepened his collaboration with the Innovation Partnerships team and began working with Ashwathi Iyer. That same year, ProbeTruth received a second NSF Partnership for Innovation Award to start their commercialization process.

ProbeTruth finalized its license agreement in March 2025, with Cartwright formally stepping in as CEO. As the company begins its next chapter as an official U-M startup, ProbeTruth is eager to enhance its cybersecurity technology and broaden its customer base.

“I would like to thank MJ, Ashwathi and the entire Innovation Partnerships team for helping bring ProbeTruth to market,” said Malik. “I’ve had the privilege of meeting so many dedicated individuals through this program who provided invaluable mentorship and support. I look forward to the future of ProbeTruth and our mission to make deepfake detection faster and easier for everyone.”