Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed concern about the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) deepfakes in the country’s social media space, raising concerns of misinformation and fraud.
According to the Times of India report, Prime Minister Modi said that while generative AI can improve productivity, bad actors have started abusing this technology. At the top of PM Modi’s list of concerns is the use of deepfakes, which can misrepresent facts and lure victims into fraudulent investments.
Citing a deepfake video of himself singing a local song, the prime minister said deepfakes are becoming increasingly real, making it difficult to distinguish between AI-generated content and reality.
“Artificial intelligence and deepfakes are creating challenges,” Modi said. “Most of our country does not have the option of parallel verification. People will often believe in deepfakes, and this will be a huge challenge.”
In recent months, deepfake videos of Indian actors have flooded the internet, with Rashmika Mandana and Katrina Kaif at the center of the brunt. Unscrupulous actors use composite videos to perform lewd scenes on actors and solicit investment from the public.
Since the beginning of this year, hundreds of people in India have lost thousands of dollars to a digital currency scam using Elon Musk’s likeness.
To stop the misuse of deepfakes in India, Prime Minister Modi has called for increased public awareness to educate the population on identifying AI-generated deepfakes and curbing their spread. The country has since launched an AI course through the Ministry of Education, Skills Development and Entrepreneurship to upskill bank staff to crack down on deepfakes-based fraud.
“Furthermore, risk management, regulatory compliance and sustainability need to be prioritized to ensure long-term resilience and competitiveness in the evolving banking environment,” said one regulator.
The country has made some progress in regulating AI, imposing hefty fines and up to three years in prison for creating deepfakes that attempt to mislead the public.
Delhi Police announces investigation into deepfake videos of Mandanna and Kaif, authorities reportedly request URL from Mehta (NASDAQ:Meta).
AI and Blockchain in India
Although blockchain has had a head start, AI use cases are rapidly closing the gap, and experts are eyeing several use cases for the technology in the Indian economy.
Topping the list is finance, where commercial banks are being asked to pivot to AI to crack down on anti-money laundering (AML) violations in real time. Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India is promoting AI-powered conversational instant payments through the United Payments Interface (UPI).
“This AI-driven model ensures fast and secure transactions and protects users within an integrated environment,” said one finance executive. “This further improves the user experience and provides a seamless, transparent and convenient payment solution.”
Watch: Bangalore and Blockchain – There are synergies
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