India grapples with AI-generated deepfakes, a digital menace distorting reality and undermining trust. These hyper-realistic creations, increasingly used in politics and scams, pose a significant threat to public perception and democratic integrity. Experts warn of the growing sophistication of this technology, emphasizing the urgent need for stronger legal frameworks and enhanced digital literacy to combat the deepening threat. . In a world where seeing is no longer believing, India is facing a new digital menace: AI-generated deepfakes.These hyper-realistic videos and audio clips don’t just distort reality. They manipulate public perception, spread misinformation and undermine trust in democracy itself.With 85.5 per cent of Indian households owning at least one smartphone, mobile phones have become India’s bank, classroom and television, making citizens more vulnerable to digital deception.Deepfake Shock: Nirmala Sitharaman Reveals Fake Videos Of Herself Online, Warns Of AI’s Dark SideDuring the 2024 elections, for instance, satirical deepfakes became a campaign tool of sorts. Apart from resurrecting dead leaders, it featured clips such as one that featured PM Narendra Modi dancing the garba with women and Kamal Nath dissing a popular welfare scheme.Though investigations and arrests followed, such videos blur the line between fact and fiction, risking the distortion of voter opinion and the integrity of the democratic process.Cybersecurity experts warn AI is also becoming a key tool in cybercrime: 80 per cent phishing campaigns in 2024 involved AI, with deepfakes exploited for scams. “When you can fake images, audio, and video, how do you know if a real video is real? Suddenly, everything is in question,” said Hany Farid, professor at the University of California, Berkeley, in a TOI interview last year about the worrying rise in AI misuse.Armour up with TOI to fight deepening threat of deepfakesThe deepfake threat extends beyond politics. Recently, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted the misuse of AI to clone voices and produce fake videos impersonating her, warning of potential financial scams and the erosion of public trust. “I have seen several deepfake videos of myself being circulated online, manipulated to mislead citizens and distort facts,” Sitharaman said in Mumbai. “Criminals are using AI to mimic voices, clone identities, and create lifelike videos,” she added.Given that over 97% of India’s urban youth aged 15 to 29 owns a smartphone, the impact of such misinformation on a generation is worrying, say observers. “Deepfakes began in 2016. Back then, it was a joke. But the technology has only gotten better. Earlier, there were photoshopped face swaps. Now there are lipsync fakes,” said Prof. Farid, warning that the tech has become more refined, raising the risk of harassment of women through the use of non-consensual sexual imagery.In Nov 2023, actress Rashmika Mandanna became a victim of a viral deepfake video that superimposed her face on to compromising content, sparking widespread outrage. “The very term ‘deepfake’ comes from a Reddit user who in the early days of this technology used it to create porn,” said Farid, calling the new term ‘Generative AI’ clever “rebranding” by the male-dominated tech industry.As AI evolves, India must strengthen legal frameworks, enhance digital literacy, and bring together minds across sectors to ensure safety, say experts. “We need to label everything as real or not real,” said Farid, “We need real disclosures.” To combat the deepening threat of deep fakes, TOI has already started armouring up. Watch out for our ‘Don’t Get Scammed’ stories to stay informed and aware. After all, as Farid puts it, “if you don’t know what’s real, how will you know what’s false”?End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosIndia’s Soft Power Rises As Jaishankar Expands Global Gita Mahotsav, Kurukshetra Festival OutreachPunjab: Anandpur Sahib Hosts 3-Day Tribute on Guru Tegh Bahadur’s 350th Martyrdom Year’They Said Arunachal Is China’: Indian Woman Alleges Harassment After Passport Rejection In ShanghaiRajnath Says India Followed Krishna’s Message In Operation Sindoor After Pakistan Misread Decency‘Enemies of the Nation Are Our Enemies’Owaisi Condemns Delhi Blast’Double Trade By 2030′: Piyush Goyal’s Big Remarks As India, Canada Agree To Resume FTA TalksTejas Crash: HAL Issues Clarification As Court Of Inquiry Probes Wing Commander Namansh Syal’s DeathDelhi Air Pollution Protest At India Gate Turns Violent Amid ‘Madvi Hidma Amar Rahe’ SlogansRajnath Singh’s Sindh Comment Sparks Pakistan Fury As Islamabad Labels India ‘Expansionist’ AgainINS Mahe Commissioned As Indian Navy’s New Aatmanirbhar Submarine Killer For Stronger Coastal Shield123PhotostoriesDharmendra: The late legend’s heartwarming family picturesEvil Eye You Attract According To Your Date of BirthLong-term love tips: 8 practical ways to stay close and happy in a relationshipLate actor Dharmendra’s most touching parenting lessons: It’s all about love, simplicity and staying grounded10 winter getaways in India that double as European lookalikesPhotos and interesting facts from inside Bill Gates $125 Million home ‘Xanadu 2.0’From Dharmendra to Dev Anand: Veteran style icons who shaped Bollywood’s fashion historyFrom Nushrratt Bharuccha to Tiger Shroff: Bollywood stars stuck in repetitive on-screen images10 most effective natural hacks to permanently get rid of mice and rats at homeDelhi’s bold vision: Luxury metro coaches, tunnels and pod taxis123Hot PicksDelhi AQI TodayNew Labour CodeChennai rainGold rate todaySilver rate todayPublic Holidays NovemberBank Holidays NovemberTop TrendingNew Labour LawsIslam MakhachevCola Social Security PaymentsBrittany MahomesCanada Citizenship ActDelhi ProtestSmriti Mandhana WeddingJack HughesRama Raju MantenaFortnite Chapter 7 Leaked
In a world where seeing is no longer believing, India is facing a new digital menace: AI-generated deepfakes.These hyper-realistic videos and audio clips don’t just distort reality. They manipulate public perception, spread misinformation and undermine trust in democracy itself.With 85.5 per cent of Indian households owning at least one smartphone, mobile phones have become India’s bank, classroom and television, making citizens more vulnerable to digital deception.
During the 2024 elections, for instance, satirical deepfakes became a campaign tool of sorts. Apart from resurrecting dead leaders, it featured clips such as one that featured PM Narendra Modi dancing the garba with women and Kamal Nath dissing a popular welfare scheme.Though investigations and arrests followed, such videos blur the line between fact and fiction, risking the distortion of voter opinion and the integrity of the democratic process.Cybersecurity experts warn AI is also becoming a key tool in cybercrime: 80 per cent phishing campaigns in 2024 involved AI, with deepfakes exploited for scams. “When you can fake images, audio, and video, how do you know if a real video is real? Suddenly, everything is in question,” said Hany Farid, professor at the University of California, Berkeley, in a TOI interview last year about the worrying rise in AI misuse.
Armour up with TOI to fight deepening threat of deepfakes
The deepfake threat extends beyond politics. Recently, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted the misuse of AI to clone voices and produce fake videos impersonating her, warning of potential financial scams and the erosion of public trust. “I have seen several deepfake videos of myself being circulated online, manipulated to mislead citizens and distort facts,” Sitharaman said in Mumbai. “Criminals are using AI to mimic voices, clone identities, and create lifelike videos,” she added.Given that over 97% of India’s urban youth aged 15 to 29 owns a smartphone, the impact of such misinformation on a generation is worrying, say observers. “Deepfakes began in 2016. Back then, it was a joke. But the technology has only gotten better. Earlier, there were photoshopped face swaps. Now there are lipsync fakes,” said Prof. Farid, warning that the tech has become more refined, raising the risk of harassment of women through the use of non-consensual sexual imagery.In Nov 2023, actress Rashmika Mandanna became a victim of a viral deepfake video that superimposed her face on to compromising content, sparking widespread outrage. “The very term ‘deepfake’ comes from a Reddit user who in the early days of this technology used it to create porn,” said Farid, calling the new term ‘Generative AI’ clever “rebranding” by the male-dominated tech industry.As AI evolves, India must strengthen legal frameworks, enhance digital literacy, and bring together minds across sectors to ensure safety, say experts. “We need to label everything as real or not real,” said Farid, “We need real disclosures.” To combat the deepening threat of deep fakes, TOI has already started armouring up. Watch out for our ‘Don’t Get Scammed’ stories to stay informed and aware. After all, as Farid puts it, “if you don’t know what’s real, how will you know what’s false”?
