A video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who shopped women's apparel in Delhi ahead of the festive season, shocked the internet. The AI-generated Deepfake video also includes narration for “Modi” that supports the brand and encourages Indians to buy. Social media users seemed deeply separated by strange clips. The video also sparked a deeper conversation about the dangers of deepfake footage and the legality of such creations.
“Bhaiyo aur behno. If you want a premium quality ladies suit at wholesale prices, come to Aysha Mysha at Lajpat Nagar. You can hear the narration of “Modi” claim.
Current footage of Villal shows the “Prime Minister” step into the frame and enters the store before shaking hands with the attendant. He is then shown salwar suits of various ethnic groups and eventually leaves the store in half a dozen bags.
“Pure science fiction”
“People creativity,” joked one X user.
“You can do anything in the name of freedom of speech and expression,” he retorted to another.
“I don't think there's still a law to promote the AI video generation,” the third person recalled.
While much of social media seemed convinced that technology had gone too far, others emphasized the need for clear tagging in the case of AI-generated content. Current laws in India do not expressly prohibit such content. It focuses primarily on guidelines and advisories to ensure transparency and ethical use.
“It was a fake call at first, and now it's a fake purchase. aam aadmi reality. Pure science fiction,” another comment lamented.
“All AI-generated content needs a watermark to show that AI is being generated,” he argued for the fourth.
Indian AI law?
Deepfake has become a growing problem around the world. Sleek technology has made it increasingly difficult to distinguish it from reality. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed concern towards the end of 2023 when the video of galvas came to word of mouth nationwide. Fakes generated by AI are not specifically illegal, but remain punished under misinformation, honour and misuse of identity laws.
“I recently saw a video where I saw him play a galva. I haven't done a galva from school. There are many other such videos online. In the age of artificial intelligence, it's important to use technology responsibly.”
The clip then revealed that businessman Vikas Mahante (like Modi's look) was actually dancing at the Navratri event, not a blatant deepfake. But things have been getting worse since then. AI platforms generate an incredible number of fake images and videos every day.
The creation and distribution of deep-fark videos such as current virus clips of “PM Modi” at Shopping Spree could potentially face legal action on reasons for spreading misinformation, rebaming Modi, or identity theft. The situation may vary from video to video, but creators are open to a variety of fees.
Section 66C of IT ACT deals with identity theft (such as the use of PM-specific identification features), and Section 66D deals with fraudulent behavior caused by personalities using computer resources. This video is feasible in the IPC section related to honor loss (sections 499 and 500) if it harms PM's reputation or spreads misleading information. Information Technology (Mediation Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) regulations also require that social media platforms remove misleading or deceptive content that has been flagged.
