Bollywood singer Kumar Sonu is the recent victim of a deepfake. The singer has slammed a fake video of him circulating widely on social media, which falsely claims that he performed for Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan’s event.
The fake video, which shows the renowned Bollywood singer performing at an event, has garnered a lot of attention online. The clip has been widely shared, with the claim that he performed for former cricketer Imran.
After coming to know about the fake video, Sanu was quick to release his clarification. Taking to his Instagram handle, Sanu shared a screengrab of news agency PTI’s fact-check story on the viral video.
Saying that the voice in the video is not of him, the singer said, ”I want to clarify that I have never sung a song for the former Prime Minister of Pakistan. The audio that is going on Facebook is not my voice. It has been created through AI (Artificial Intelligence).”
Asking the government to take immediate action, the singer further added, ”Some people are trying to defame me. People should believe it, so I want to make it clear to my fans that this news is completely false. This is a misuse of technology, which is a serious matter. I request the Government of India to take immediate action to prevent the misuse of AI and deepfake technology. Let us all together stop the spread of misleading and false information.”
The modified clip in question showed Sanu performing at an event and raising his voice for Khan’s release. Several fact-check stories have revealed that the voice has been manipulated in the clip.
This is not the first time when the singer has talked about AI and said that it’s a threat. Earlier, he talked about safeguarding his voice rights and preventing potential misuse that people can do using AI and other technologies.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, the singer confirmed taking a legal route to prevent his voice from any use without his consent, “I recently went to the United States to perform in a string of concerts. My next move is going to be approaching the court and taking an order like this. Technology today is dominated by AI. Kisi bhi singer ka duplicate ban jaaye, I don’t think this will be correct. One has to protect themselves by way of such methods. AI is dangerous,” he said.
Kumar is one of the well-known Indian singers and has given several hit songs like ”Chura Ke Dil Mera” from Main Khiladi Tu Anari, ”Ladki Badi Anjani Hai” from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, and ”Aap Ka Aana Dil Dhadkana” from Kurukshetra.