The recent case of BabyDoll Archi, a seemingly authentic Instagram influencer with over a million followers, is one of the most shocking examples of how Deepfake technology, backed by revenge and obsession, can spiral into something much more ominous.
Who is Archita Phukan or BabyDoll Archi?
For weeks, social media has been bustling with videos of Babydoll Arch, a gorgeous, bold and mysterious figure on sultry reels. From the outside, she looked like a rising influencer on the brink of international fame.
But there is no real woman behind that handle. Instead, it is a carefully manufactured online persona, created using artificial intelligence tools and stolen images of the unsuspecting housewife of Dibragal, Assam. A woman with no social media presence and doesn't know that she has become a digital fantasy face.
BabyDoll Archi's Deepfake Video: How Her Virtual Identity Was Used for Money and Revenge
The truth came only when the victim's brother filed a police complaint. The ringleader behind the account turns out to be her ex-boyfriend, Pratim Bora. PratimBora has used AI tools such as ChatGpt and Dzine to convert personal photos into surreal images and videos.
Mullet has been running the account since 2020. By 2021, they had moved from simple editing to full deepfake videos, featuring increasingly sexual content. The account has gained over 1.4 million followers, won blue ticks, generated £10 lakh and received £3 lakh in just 5 days through the subscription.
BabyDoll Archi has over 3,000 paid followers, a Linktree page, featured in global media speculation on potential careers in adult entertainment. But behind the clicks and comments was a woman who didn't even know that this was happening.
What is a deepfake video?
Deepfake is a type of synthetic media in which a person's face or body is digitally altered to make them look like they're doing or say things they never did. Deepfakes are shockingly realistic and are difficult to detect. This technology is used to deceive, manipulate and harm.
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The appearance of Deepfake videos
According to the 2024 PI-LABS report, India's deep fur case has increased by 550% since 2019, with potential losses of over 70,000 crore this year alone. A McAfee survey revealed that 75% of Indians have come across Deepfaak's content, most of whom target public figures and women.
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What began as a novelty has turned into a dangerous tool of exploitation. It no longer affects celebrities and influencers alone. Ordinary women are becoming victims. The ability to take a picture of someone and turn it into indecent without knowledge or consent is scary, but that's the reality today.
Rashmika Mandanna's Deepfake Video Incident
Previously, Bollywood star Rashmika Mandanna was the target of a viral deepfake video. It showed that she went into the elevator in a suggestive way, but it wasn't really her. The British Indian influencer named Zara Patel was the original person in the clip, but Rashmika's face had been swapped for AI use.
Indive legal and regulatory frameworks are urgently needed to address deepfakes in India.
You may have seen this viral video of actress Rashmika Mandanna on Instagram. But wait, this is Zara Patel's deepfake video.
This thread contains actual videos. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/sidp1xa4st
– Abhishek (@abhisheksay) November 5th, 2023
Even Amitabh Bachchan was called a “strong case of legal action” and received support. The internet was full of people debating whether the video was real, but Rashmika had to deal with the trauma of seeing her face in a video she had never made.
Qtcinderella's Deepfake Explicit Video Scandal
Twitch Streamer Qtcinderella, known for her baking streams and community work, broke in the live stream after discovering that her face was being used in deepfake porn content.
The screenshot continued to cycle even after the video was deleted. The stranger had sent out an explicit photo of herself, which was not real but looked horribly authentic. She said she felt like she was reliving the sexual assault despite the fact that the footage was digitally created.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyslctr9ys8
It is not just a violation of privacy, but also of identity and physical autonomy.
How are women at the heart of AI misuse?
This is what is clear in all these stories. Women were primarily at the heart of AI abuse. Deepfake tools have been used again and again to target women, strip them of their dignity, silence them, and shame them. Or use identity in ways and forms that you never agree with in real life.
Deepfake has been used to turn a woman's face into a weapon used against her. And the consequences continue to include trauma, social repulsion, reputational damage, and loss of control over one's image.
Deepfake videos are no longer just creepy tech experiments and internet jokes. They are becoming tools of harassment, revenge, and emotional destruction, and women are paying the best prices.
BabyDoll Archi may not exist, but the pain, fear and violation felt by a real woman with her face stolen is very real. We are telling women that even our skin is not safe if we are not acting with the right law, awareness and strong consequences. Technology may be fake. However, the trauma caused through it is heartbreakingly realistic.
Image credits: Instagram, Freepik, and Unsplash
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