AI morphing controversy sweeps India as celebrities call for action

Visakhapatnam: Widespread use of AI morphing technology is causing alarm in the entertainment and sports sectors, prompting a call for stricter regulations.

The controversy started with a viral deepfake video of actress Rashmika Mandanna. The video in question portrayed her in a compromising but fabricated scenario.

Immediately after the video's appearance, a wave of support and concern for her came from her fans and fellow celebrities. Those like Amitabh Bachchan, Mrunal Thakur, and Chaitanya Akkineni took to social media to express their anguish and urge the government to take effective action to prevent such indulgences.

Hours after this, Kaif from an upcoming action scene in the film Tiger 3 also surfaced in a similar manner on social media.

It wasn't just the entertainment industry that was affected. Rumours of celebrity couple Sara Tendulkar and Shubam Gill surfaced, putting them in the crosshairs of morphed AI-generated images.

A manipulated picture featuring Sara and Shubam hugging each other made the rounds on the internet, adding to the worries over deepfake content.

The central government issued a stern advisory to major social media intermediaries, urging them to identify and remove misleading content and deepfake videos from their platforms and abide by the provisions of the IT Rules 2021.

The electronics and IT ministry has informed the public of the existing legal provisions that address deepfakes and the penalties thereof. Section 66D of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which deals with "punishment for cheating by personation by using a computer resource," has been cited. This section warns of imprisonment of up to three years and a fine of up to one lakh for those found guilty of creating or sharing deepfake content.