Deepfakes in a democratic country like India a big concern: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said artificial intelligence (AI) presents a huge opportunity but there is a significant risk of misuse, especially deepfakes, if such a powerful technology is placed in unskilled hands.

Responding to a question from Microsoft Co-founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates on how India looks at AI which is a huge opportunity but comes with its own challenges, PM Modi said proper training is must to handle technologies like AI.

“I have engaged with leading minds on AI and its risks. I suggested that we should start with clear watermarks on AI-generated content to prevent misinformation. Proper sources of AI-generated content should also be mentioned,” PM Modi emphasised.

Deepfakes in a vast democratic country like India, which is going into general elections, is a real issue.

“Someone can even misuse my voice to deceive people and such a deepfake can trigger widespread uproar. We need to think about creating robust dos and don’ts on deepfakes,” the Prime Minister told Gates.

Using AI as a magic tool or asking ChatGPT to write letters is a great injustice to this wonderful technology as we should rather compete with AI to improve ourselves and innovate further to solve real life problems, according to the Prime Minister.

“India has a myriad of languages and dialects and we need to push AI to recognise and adapt to those to help people,” PM Modi told Microsoft Co-founder.

“I constantly present new challenges to AI whenever I get a chance to speak to a machine or a robot, fostering its growth and adaptability,” the Prime Minister said.