Concerns rise over AI misuse with Aamir Khan, Ranveer Singh deepfakes

Campaigning in India traditionally relied on door-to-door outreach and public rallies, but since 2019, WhatsApp and Facebook have been extensively utilized for campaigning. This year's general election, anticipated to secure Modi a rare third term, marks the debut of AI in the electoral process.

Sujata Paul, a Congress spokesperson, shared actor Singh's video with her 16,000 followers on X on April 17. By Saturday afternoon, her post had been reshared 2,900 times, liked 8,700 times, and garnered 438,000 views.

Paul acknowledged the video's "manipulated media" tag on X but chose not to delete it, citing resemblance to Singh and its perceived creativity.

The post disappeared from X on Sunday after Reuters reached out to Congress' head of the social media cell, who remained unresponsive.

Both actors disclaimed the videos as fake. Facebook, X, and at least eight fact-checking websites verified them as altered or manipulated, a verdict corroborated by Reuters' digital verification unit.

The origin of the videos remains unconfirmed. Khan expressed alarm at the viral "fake" video, while Singh's team initiated an investigation. Singh cautioned against deepfakes on X, urging vigilance among friends.

Requests for comment from Modi's office and the IT head of his Bharatiya Janata Party went unanswered.

India boasts nearly 900 million internet users, with an average individual spending over three hours daily on social media, as per a survey by the Esya Centre and the Indian Institute of Management.

While some versions of the videos were blocked on social media, at least 14 remained visible on X on Saturday. Facebook removed two flagged videos, while one persisted.

Facebook stated it removed the videos for policy violations, but X did not respond to Reuters' queries.

The videos prompted a police investigation, with Khan filing a case in Mumbai against unidentified individuals on April 17 for alleged impersonation and cheating in creating the fake video.

Mumbai police, though unresponsive, confirmed contacting Facebook and X to remove the video, which they reported as done.

The technical nature of investigations prolonged the process, according to unnamed officers involved.

In this year's elections, AI is employed in diverse ways. Vijay Vasanth, a Congress leader, shared a 2-minute AI-generated clip featuring his deceased father seeking votes for him.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) utilized AI to present Samata, an AI-generated anchor, critiquing the ruling party in West Bengal. The ruling party denied the allegations, emphasizing their environmental protection efforts, while the CPM remained silent.

Samata, in a video viewed 12,000 times, urged citizens to reflect on pertinent issues.