PM Modi’s AI dance videos stir controversy in India’s elections
By Akanksha Upadhyay
By Akanksha Upadhyay
An AI video shows PM Modi dancing to a Bollywood song, which he reshared, calling it a delight.
Modi’s Dance
Modi’s Dance
Another AI video shows Mamata Banerjee dancing with her speech as the background score, leading to a police investigation.
Banerjee’s Dance
The different reactions to these videos highlight the increasing misuse of AI, causing concern for regulators and security officials.
AI Misuse
AI Misuse
A World Economic Forum survey suggests that the risk to India from misinformation is higher than from infectious diseases or illicit economic activity.
Misinformation Risk
Misinformation Risk
The 2024 election is the first in which AI is being deployed, with some politicians using the technology to personalise their campaigns.
Election Impact
Major cases of misuse hit the headlines in April, including deepfakes of Bollywood actors criticising Modi and fake clips involving two of Modi’s top aides.
Deepfakes
Deepfakes
India’s Election Commission warned against AI use to spread misinformation, but monitoring capacity is limited.
Regulatory Challenges
AI and deepfakes are being increasingly used in elections elsewhere in the world, including in the U.S., Pakistan and Indonesia.
Global Trend
An Indian IT ministry panel can order blocking of content that can harm public order, but authorities can only request social media platforms to remove content.
Content Control
Content Control
The Modi and Banerjee dancing videos were created using a free website, Viggle, which allows a photograph and a few basic prompts to generate videos.