PM raises concerns over tech misuse, deepfakes
Deepfake videos are synthetic media created using AI, which generate convincing looking fake images, videos or audios not usually discernible to someone not trained in spotting them
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed concerns over misuse of technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to create deepfakes and said the media can play a role in raising awareness since a large section of society does not have the wherewithal to ascertain the veracity of content.
Modi also stressed on the need to carry some precautionary notes about the pitfalls and dangers of AI and deepfakes.
Deepfake videos are synthetic media created using AI, which generate convincing looking fake images, videos or audios not usually discernible to someone not trained in spotting them. The Prime Minister’s remarks came amid major concerns and outrage over a series of deepfake videos featuring several celebrities, including Telugu actor Rashmika Mandanna, which recently surfaced on social media.
Addressing a gathering of media persons during a ‘Diwali Milan’ programme at the Bharatiya Janata Party office in Delhi, Modi said: “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… This (deepfake) will take us to grave danger and has the potential to spread the fire of dissatisfaction.”
Modi said he recently saw a video of him performing garba even though he has not done so since schooldays. “I recently saw a video in which I was playing garba... it was very well done, but I have never done garba since school,” he said.
A viral deepfake video of Mandanna sparked concerns about the misuse of AI and its potential to further gender violence online, prompting the government to remind social media platforms of obligations under the law to prohibit fake content. Concerns over deepfake also extend to their use during elections and purposes that can affect law and order.
The Prime Minister urged the media to educate people on the use and misuse of AI, and what deepfakes can do and the problems that it can lead to. The media has a legacy of being taken seriously and they should take on the responsibility of creating awareness, he said.
“We should educate people through our programmes, about what deepfake is, how big a crisis it can cause and what its impact can be,” he said.
The need to prevent technology from disrupting social order is even more necessary in a country with varied diversities as India, he said, adding: “A movie cannot run even if there is one sentence that someone takes offence to.”
Underscoring the need to exercise caution against misuse of technology, Modi said that during a meeting with representatives of OpenAI (the company behind the chatbot ChatGPT) in June this year, he pointed out that just as cigarettes come with a warning about being cancerous and a health hazard, deepfakes too should carry disclosures.
On November 7, the Union ministry of electronics and information technology issued an advisory to social media platforms, underlining the legal provisions that cover creation and dissemination of deepfakes.
“It is a legal obligation for online platforms to prevent the spread of misinformation by any user under the Information Technology (IT) rules, 2021. They are further mandated to remove such content within 36 hours upon receiving a report from either a user or government authority. Failure to comply with this requirement invokes Rule 7, which empowers aggrieved individuals to take platforms to court under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). It is imperative that platforms take proactive measures to combat this threat,” the advisory said.
The government has imposed a penalty of ₹1 lakh and three years of prison for creation and circulation of deepfakes.
