India’s Deepfake Dilemma

A lot of you might argue that deepfakes spread misinformation, have the potential to ruin the reputation of individuals and organisations, and are a threat to democracy. In short, the technology does more harm than good, and is getting better each day.

Agreed. Mainstream media, too, is going ahead with this narrative, spreading fear around deepfake and blaming social media and tech companies for the menace. The Indian government, which aligns with this view, has devised a so-called ‘clear, actionable plan’ to address the challenges posed by deepfake.

While everyone's at it, let’s pause for a minute and talk about the ‘bright side of deepfake’ and why it should not be over-regulated. 

So far, deepfakes have found actual use cases in movies and ads, mostly assisting in video editing and production. Some of the notable examples include Shah Rukh Khan’s My Ad - Cadbury campaign, Salman Khan’s double role - Pepsi ad, and Ayushman Khurrana’s latest ad with Wakefit, where the actor was showcased as a child with the help of deepfake. This ain’t new. Ten years ago, after the death of Hollywood actor Paul Walker, the team used deepfake to complete the Fast & the Furious 7 movie.