AI and deepfake are raising concerns in Indian elections
Recently, political parties in various countries have been competing to take advantage of technological advances. Its use has already started in neighboring India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in South Asia.
In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself is using this technology to run election campaigns. He addressed the crowd in Hindi and within moments his speech was translated into Tamil by an AI-powered 'Bashini'. It is a tool developed by the Government of India. Similarly, former Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed a political rally using this same technology. Bangladesh's ICT State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak's digital twin appeared at the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day event.
Essentially, Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools have become more advanced day by day. Although it has become easier to use, a new thought has surrounded the experts. That is, as artificial intelligence becomes more sophisticated, there is a fear of spreading 'false information as correct' to people.
Former Chief Election Commissioner of India SY Qureshi said that rumors have always been mixed with election campaigns. But in the age of social media, it can spread like wildfire. They fear that the Indian government's speech AI tools or techniques can be used to manipulate words and messages. Just last month, two videos went viral where Bollywood stars Ranveer Singh and Aamir Khan were seen campaigning for the Congress.
Then on April 29, Narendra Modi expressed concern about the misuse of this technology. He expressed concern about using artificial intelligence to distort his and other BJP leaders' statements.
The next day, the police arrested two people in connection with the incident. There was a complaint against them that they had cut and presented the video of Home Minister Amit Shah. Among the arrested persons, one is a Congress worker, the other is an Aam Aadmi Party worker. On the other hand, the opposition parties are making similar allegations against the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party at the Centre.
Also 'Is Modi a Fascist?' A debate started around the answer of Google's Gemini chatbot in response to this question. Indian government took action after this incident. Indian Minister of State for Information and Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said at the time that this was a violation of India's technology laws. Since then, the Indian government has ordered tech firms to seek government approval before releasing models or tools that are 'under-tested' and 'unreliable' for generative AI.
Tech firms were also warned against any answers from 'AI tools' that could influence the electoral process.
But that is not enough. Fact-checkers say exposing fake content is becoming increasingly difficult. This task becomes even more difficult during elections when misinformation becomes widespread.
According to the concerned circles, although some people have been arrested in this incident, there is no legal system in India to deal with fake and distorted content. Srinivas Kodali, the country's information and security researcher, explained the matter, saying, "This means that if you are caught doing something wrong, you will be released with a light punishment." In this situation, content creators decide what to do and what not to do based on personal ideals and principles.
