Claim:The video shows Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi hinting at giving Arunachal Pradesh to China to stop aid to Pakistan.
fact:That claim is false. Viral videos are manipulated using artificial intelligence (AI).
HYDERABAD: A video of Chief of Army Staff Upendra Dwivedi making controversial statements is going viral on social media.
The allegations come amid heightened diplomatic exchanges between India and China after a woman with an Indian passport from Arunachal Pradesh was reportedly detained during a transit at Shanghai Pudong airport.
In the video, General Dwivedi said, “In hindsight, given the geopolitics of the world and what is happening to India, especially after the events of May 6 and 7, and how China’s superior technology led to the destruction of the Rafales. I am of the opinion that if you really want to succeed against Pakistan, the best strategy is to be friends with China.Recently, I heard about an incident in which a girl from Arunachal went to China and was rejected.” As Rajnath Ji said, I think we need to mend relations so that China stops interfering in Pakistan and weaponizing Pakistan. Besides, the people of Arunachal have no connection with India, so it will not be a loss for us. ”
The video was shared on X (posting is on hold in India but accessible via VPN) and reads, “Breaking News: Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi has an out-of-the-box solution to rebuild Pakistan’s military. He proposed handing over Arunachal to China to appease China to stop supporting Pakistan. Everything Rahul Gandhi said turned out to be true. Narendar surrendered. (archive)
fact check
NewsMeter found this claim to be false. Viral videos are manipulated by AI.
Video source
I noticed that the video had “The Tribune” logo in the top left corner.
Using this information, I checked the Tribune’s official YouTube channel and found the same video showing Army Chief of Staff Upendra Dwivedi. The video was uploaded on November 24 with the title, “Indian Army Chief General Dwivedi praises INS Mahe, underlines navy’s anti-submarine superiority.”
The video includes a clip of General Dwivedi speaking at the commissioning ceremony of INS Mahe on the same day.
Analyzing both videos, it is clear that the viral clip was created using this footage. However, nowhere in the video does General Dwivedi make any controversial statements as alleged in the video.
A longer version of this video was livestreamed on YouTube by Bharat Tak on November 24. This shows General Dwivedi’s entire speech from 29 minutes 40 seconds to 35 minutes 24 seconds. Again, he is not seen making any viral statements in the video.
This suggested that the video may have been manipulated. We closely analyzed the video and found evidence of media tampering.
Video analysis
Analysis of the viral video showed that the pattern of speech in the clip was different from that of General Dwivedi’s speech at the Mahe commissioning ceremony.
We also noticed that in several places in the video, body movements were repeated in a way that was unnatural to the normal rhythms of the human body. This kind of “weird behavior” is often seen in videos manipulated using AI (artificial intelligence). More examples of video duplication can be seen in fact-checking videos on the NewsMeter channel.
We also contacted the Deepfakes Analysis Unit (DAU), an initiative of the Trusted Information Alliance (TIA), regarding the authenticity of the clip featuring General Dwivedi. DAU used Hiya Audio Intelligence to analyze the video and determine that the audio was generated or modified by AI. They also found that only 29% of the time, the audio matched markers in living humans.
NewsMeter debunked several claims made using AI-manipulated videos. You can read the reports here and here.
Therefore, NewsMeter concludes that the viral claim is false. Viral videos are manipulated by AI.
