AI video showing military uniforms used in election campaigns
One widely circulated video shows a man wearing a Bangladeshi army uniform pleading for support for a particular political party. Fact checking confirmed that this video was generated by AI. As of yesterday, the video had been viewed more than 1 million times, garnered more than 89,000 reactions, garnered nearly 2,500 comments, and been shared 26,000 times.
On January 14, the Bangladesh military issued a warning about such AI-generated videos. In a statement posted on its official Facebook page, the military said vested interests are spreading AI-generated content and misleading photo cards on social media to tarnish the military’s image, and urged the public not to be misled.
Four days have passed since the military’s warning, but the video remains online.
Political parties have raised the issue of AI misuse with the Election Commission, but no effective measures have been taken. Ehsanul Mahboob Jubail, Jamaat-e-Islami deputy secretary-general and head of public relations and media, told Prothom Alo that social media platforms are open spaces and it is difficult to determine who is doing what. “Jamaat is the most targeted by AI-based attacks and disinformation. We have raised this issue many times in meetings with the Election Commission, but the steps taken are not satisfactory,” he said.
