Rashmika Mandanna's Deepfake Goes Viral, Raises Concern

Rozana Spokesman  | Amanat Thaper

Entertainment, Bollywood

Emerging Deepfake Technology Spurs Calls for Legal and Regulatory Measures

Rashmika Mandanna Deepfake AI Viral Video News

Rashmika Mandanna Deepfake AI Viral Video News: In the era of artificial intelligence, deepfake technology has emerged as a double-edged sword, enabling cybercriminals to manipulate voices and videos in an unsettling manner. The most recent victim of this phenomenon is the popular actress Rashmika Mandanna. A Viral video that recently swept across the internet showcased what appeared to be actress Rashmika Mandanna entering an elevator. However, upon closer scrutiny, it became evident that this was no ordinary clip; it was a deepfake, meticulously crafted using digital manipulation techniques. 

The Video's deception was so convincing that it garnered millions of views, amassing over 2.4 million on the social media platform X. The video was originally posted on Instagram on October 8, featuring a woman named Zara Patel, though there is no indication of Patel's involvement in the deepfake's creation. This unsettling episode underscores the urgent need for fresh legal and regulatory measures to combat the proliferation of synthetic content on the internet. Such deepfake instances are becoming increasingly prevalent and pose significant threats.

Bollywood Superstar Amitabh Bachchan shared the video and tweeted that deepfakes constitute a "strong case for legal" action. This post by an iconic figure in the Indian film industry amplifies the urgency to address the deepfake issue. The discrepancies between a deepfake and authentic video are noticeable. In the genuine video, Zara Patel's face is prominently visible as she enters the elevator. However, the video undergoes a rapid transformation, seamlessly morphing into the face of Rashmika Mandanna.

About Deepfake Technology....

Deepfake technology relies on AI to replace the image or video of one person with another, harnessing machine learning and AI's capabilities to create convincing audio and visual content. While the concept of manipulating content is not new, deepfakes represent a more sophisticated and potentially deceptive level of this practice.

One common identifier of deepfakes is unnatural facial expressions or movements, such as excessive or insufficient blinking, or stiff and jerky motions. The eyes, in particular, can betray the authenticity of a video, often appearing blurry or misaligned with the person's head movements.