- By Ridhi Suri
- Tue, 07 Nov 2023 03:11 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The emergence of a video depicting actress Rashmika Mandanna entering an elevator has sparked intense controversy online. However, what seems to be a legitimate clip is actually a 'deepfake' of the actress. The original footage features a British Indian girl, Zara Patel, with her face digitally altered using Deepfake AI tools for the alteration. Soon after this, another instance of manipulated content involving edited image of Katrina Kaif from her upcoming movie 'Tiger 3' surfaced online. Originally, the picture portrayed Katrina engaged in a fight scene clad in a towel with a Hollywood stuntwoman. However, the edited version replaced the towel with a low-cut white top.
Well, the use of deepfake technology to create falsified videos or images has raised significant concerns about the potential misuse of such technology. Deepfakes have the ability to manipulate and replace individuals' faces in videos, often resulting in misleading or fabricated content that can be easily disseminated across various social media platforms.
What Happened With Rashmika Mandanna?
In this specific case, the deepfake video showcased the British-Indian influencer Zara Patel initially, but her face was then replaced with that of Rashmika Mandanna, after which she issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter) and said, "I feel hurt to share this and have to talk about the deepfake video of me being spread online. Something like this is honestly, extremely scary not only for me but also for each one of us who today is vulnerable to so much harm because of how technology is being misused."
I feel really hurt to share this and have to talk about the deepfake video of me being spread online.
— Rashmika Mandanna (@iamRashmika) November 6, 2023
Something like this is honestly, extremely scary not only for me, but also for each one of us who today is vulnerable to so much harm because of how technology is being misused.…
Zara too expressed profound distress and concern about the implications of the incident. In a statement shared on her official Instagram account, the British-Indian influencer conveyed her unease regarding the heightened apprehension that women and girls might now experience in sharing content on social media platforms.
However, Rashmika and Katrina aren't the only celebrities to have been targeted by deepfake technology. Previously, several actors have fall victim to this.
Tom Hanks: On October 1st, Hollywood star Tom Hanks alerted his 9.5 million Instagram followers about an AI-generated dental plan advertisement featuring his likeness without his consent. The actor stressed that his image was used without his consent. "BEWARE!! There’s a video out there promoting some dental plan with an AI version of me. I have nothing to do with it," Hanks wrote.
Jimmy Donaldson: Popular YouTuber, also known as Mr. Beast, encountered a deceptive TikTok ad that falsely promised viewers $2 iPhones, leveraging misleading AI technology.
Kristen Bell: In another disconcerting incident, actress Kristen Bell, renowned for her role as Anna in Disney's 'Frozen,' expressed feeling violated after discovering that her image had been manipulated and used in inappropriate content on the internet. Her husband, Dax Shepard, brought this distressing matter to her attention.
While deepfake technology is used for entertainment and creative endeavours, its susceptibility to misuse has prompted heightened examination and demands for the development of ethical frameworks and regulatory protocols. Detecting deepfakes can be challenging as technology evolves.
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What is Deepfake technology?
With advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), the proliferation of deepfakes on the internet has become increasingly prevalent. These manipulated media can take the form of images, audio, or videos, generated through deep learning technology, a subset of machine learning that involves training a system on extensive datasets to produce authentic-looking but fabricated content. This has prompted calls for ethical and regulatory guidelines to address the challenges it poses. However, initiatives are currently in progress to create tools capable of identifying deepfake content, alongside educating the public about its prevalence.