New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (November 17) flagged the issue of artificial intelligence to create 'deepfakes' and said that the media must educate people regarding the emerging crisis. He cited the example of his own deepfake video that surfaced on social media lately. The issue made headlines recently after 'deepfake' videos of some Bollywood actresses surfaced on social media. Rashmika Mandanna's deepfake video had gone viral on social media which showed her face morphed over the body of British-Indian Instagram influencer Zara Patel. Deepfakes of Katrina Kaif and Kajol made rounds on social media in the last few days.
"Artificial Intelligence, especially deepfake, is a matter of concern, and it can cause significant problems in the future as people do not have tools to verify the information available on social media. People often end up believing in deepfakes and this will go into the direction of a big challenge...We need to educate people with our programmes about Artificial Intelligence and deepfakes, how it works, what it can do, what challenges it can bring and whatever can be made out of it...I even saw a video of me doing 'Garba'. There are many other such videos online," PM Modi said while addressing journalists at BJP's Diwali Milan programme at the party's headquarters in the national capital, adding that the looming threat of deepfake has become a great concern and can create a lot of problems for all of us.
Deepfakes are used to purposefully spread false information or they may have a malicious intent behind their use. They can be designed to harass, intimidate, demean and undermine people. Deepfakes can also create misinformation and confusion about important issues. The Centre has said that the creation and circulation of deepfakes carry a strong penalty - Rs 1 lakh in fine and three years in jail.
PM Modi also referred to his resolve to make India 'Viksit Bharat' (developed India), saying these are not merely words but a ground reality. He also said that his call for 'vocal for local' has found people's support.
The Prime Minister further said that India's achievements during the COVID-19 pandemic created confidence among the people that the country is not going to stop now.
He also said that Chhath Puja has become a 'Rashtriya Parva' (national festival) and it is a matter of great happiness.
Deepfakes
After Rashmika Mandanna and Katrina Kaif, a fake video of Bollywood actress Kajol has been doing rounds on social media platforms. The footage, originally shared on TikTok, showcases Kajol's face digitally manipulated to create a misleading and fabricated scenario. In the video, the woman purporting to be Kajol appears to be changing clothes, further emphasising the deceptive nature of the deepfake content.
Following Rashmika's fake viral video, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeiTY) issued an advisory to social media platforms, highlighting the legal regulations governing deepfakes and the potential consequences associated with their creation and dissemination.
Citing Section 66D of the Information Technology Act, 2000, the government advisory stated, "Whoever, by means of any communication device or computer resource cheats by personating, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to fine which may extend to one lakh rupees." For the unversed, Section 66D relates to 'punishment for cheating by personation by using computer resource'.
(With PTI inputs)
