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Being a public figure, B-town celebrities are subjected to all forms of social media trolling, backlash and are also being unapologetically used as meme material. Nevertheless, it appears that these weren't enough to dampen the netizens enthusiasm for being in the spotlight, as they have begun disseminating offensive AI-generated pictures of actors to harm their reputation. Feels like, although artificial intelligence (AI) has a plethora of advantages, it has also begun to function as a callous intellect that allows anyone to fabricate information about a person. Indeed, we are here to talk about the realm commonly referred to as Bollywood deepfake, these days.
Here is all that's been happening for a while…
Recently, social media footage from last week stoked concerns about deepfakes among the film fraternity. For the unversed, deepfakes are a kind of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated video that is difficult to identify as fake. Actor Rashmika Mandanna, was morphed in the viral video where a woman entering an elevator was shown in the footage. The original video featured Zara Patel, a British-Indian social media star.
Perhaps this isn’t where the deepfake community stopped. A few days ago, deepfakes of Katrina Kaif from her upcoming film Tiger 3 went viral. In the original photo, the Bollywood actress is seen beating a towel-clad Hollywood stuntwoman. Nonetheless, Ms. Kaif was visible donning a low-cut white top and matching bottoms in the now-viral altered version.
Following the life-altering video's viral distribution, the legendary Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan also called for legal action. In response, Rashmika Mandanna described it as "extremely scary".
Meanwhile, sources claim that the Center has reminded social media sites of its policies following the widespread Bollywood deepfake video that raised concerns about the use of AI to propagate false information.
However, even after this Kajol fell pray to deepfakes where in My Name Is Khan actress could be seen changing clothes live in the morphed video clip. Kajol's face was altered to appear in the video, which was originally of Rosie. The woman's face from the original video appears briefly in the edited footage.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed concern over the rising issue of AI-generated deepfake videos featuring popular actresses. During the BJP's Diwali Milan programme in Delhi, the Prime Minister referred to this AI-powered technology as 'problematic' and called on the media to actively educate the public about the potential risks it poses.
Addressing journalists, he highlighted the emerging crisis of deepfakes produced through artificial intelligence, emphasizing the lack of a reliable verification system for a significant portion of society. He underscored the challenge this poses and shared a personal experience, revealing that he had seen a morphed video of himself engaging in Garba. PM Modi emphasized the need to address this growing concern to prevent misinformation and safeguard public trust.
Photo: Instagram/@Kajol and @Rashmika_Mandanna