Bollywood actor Vidya Balan has issued a warning about "AI-generated and inauthentic" videos of her circulating online, urging fans to be cautious of misleading digital content.
Taking to social media, Vidya shared one such AI-generated clip featuring her and clarified that she had no involvement in its creation. "There are multiple videos currently circulating on social media and WhatsApp, which appear to feature me. However, I want to clarify that the videos are AI-generated and inauthentic. I have no involvement in its creation or dissemination, nor do I endorse its content in any way," she wrote.
The actor further emphasised the importance of verifying information before sharing it. "Any claims made in the videos should not be attributed to me, as it does not reflect my views or work. I urge everyone to verify information before sharing and be cautious of misleading AI-generated content. #FakeAlert #StayAware."
Vidya is not the first Bollywood celebrity to fall victim to AI-generated videos. In the past, actors such as Rashmika Mandanna, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Katrina Kaif, Ranveer Singh, and Aamir Khan have also been targeted by AI-generated videos, raising concerns about the increasing misuse of artificial intelligence in digital media.
Last year, two of India's A-lister Bollywood actors featured in fake videos, criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asking people to vote for the opposition Congress party in the country's general election, as per Reuters.
In a 30-second video that shows Aamir and another 41-second clip of Ranveer, the two Bollywood actors purportedly say Modi failed to keep campaign promises and failed to address critical economic issues during his two terms as prime minister. Both AI-generated videos end with the Congress election symbol and slogan: "Vote for Justice, Vote for Congress".
Rashmika's brush with deepfakes happened in 2023, stirring significant concern and discussions on the adverse impact of such manipulated content. The actor expressed her distress over the fabricated deepfake video on X (formerly Twitter).
"We need to address this as a community and with urgency before more of us are affected by such identity theft," Rashmika wrote, calling it "extremely scary" how vulnerable all are to technology being misused. Social media is hugely popular in India, the world's largest democracy, but inflammatory posts peddling lies have stoked political divides and have been accused of inciting deadly religious riots.
Veteran Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan, who previously worked with Rashmika, voiced support for legal action against such deceptive content.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ