New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised concerns on Friday about the growing threat of deepfake technology, urging media outlets to play a pivotal role in educating the public about its misuse and potential impact.
Addressing the media during the BJP’s ‘Diwali Milan’ programme at the party headquarters, Prime Minister Modi emphasized the need for awareness, citing an incident where he discovered a deepfake video of himself participating in a garba festival, despite not having done so since his school days. In a lighter vein, he remarked that even those who adore him were forwarding the video.
“In a diverse society like ours, deepfakes can cause a big crisis and even stoke the fire of disaffection in society, as people generally trust anything associated with the media, much like anyone clad in ‘gedua’ (saffron) tends to get respect from others,” the Prime Minister cautioned.
Highlighting the potential consequences of deepfake technology, Modi expressed concern that a significant portion of society lacks a robust verification system, making it susceptible to manipulation.
“A new crisis is emerging due to deepfakes produced through artificial intelligence. There is a very big section of society which does not have a parallel verification system,” Prime Minister Modi told journalists, seeking their support in raising awareness.
Deepfake videos, which involve the replacement of a person in an existing image or video with someone else’s likeness, pose a threat to the integrity of visual content. The Prime Minister pointed out the amplified impact of controversial comments in movies, emphasizing that such issues now escalate beyond the realm of cinema to become significant societal concerns.
The Prime Minister’s call for media awareness reflects the need to address the evolving challenges posed by artificial intelligence and its potential to disrupt societal trust and harmony.
