NEW DELHI: AI-generated videos ‘featuring’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Central Bank Governor Shaktikanta Das are circulating online claiming to be offering investment advice, and the government on Friday issued a clarification through PIB Fact Check that the videos are fake and digitally altered.PIB said the videos falsely portray senior leaders as supporting private platforms that promise “assured returns”, including claims that an investment of around Rs 100 crore is required. 21,000 pieces will give you a profit of up to Rs. 2.5 million. “Please understand the truth behind such promotional content before investing your money,” it urged while sharing an awareness video.In the video, the woman explains how the “Investment Advice” clip uses AI tools to make the promotions look authentic. As explained in the video, “The person’s real voice is copied and used to deliver a fake message. The person’s lip movements are digitally matched with a new voice to appear natural. This is done to mislead people into thinking that a famous leader is promoting an investment plan.”“All these videos are fake and digitally altered,” he reiterated in the video. PIB warned users not to click or share links attached to such messages. Explainers point out that in order to build credibility and mislead users, scammers offer the amount they are looking for as an investment rather than a fee.PIB urges the public to avoid sharing unverified content and report suspicious links and videos to fact-checking units for verification. A similar warning was issued a few days ago, with PIB stating that a video of Sitharaman promoting an “investment scheme” was fake.
