India has debunked an artificial intelligence-generated video of its army chief claiming the country had shared intelligence with Israel.
The deepfake video circulated online shows Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi claiming New Delhi conveyed the location of an Iranian ship in the Indian Ocean to Israel.
“As long as the Iranian ship remained in Indian waters, they remained protected but when they crossed the international waters, as Israel’s strategic allies, it was our duty to inform Israel about their exact location as part of our newer strategic deal,” the AI-generated Dwivedi is heard saying in the deepfake clip.
The Indian Foreign Ministry and the official Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check account on X dismissed the viral video as an AI-generated fake.
General Dwivedi has not commented on the clip, the PIB said.
The deepfake video was reportedly carved out from a clip of Dwivedi speaking at the Raisina Dialogue about India monitoring regional developments while maintaining neutrality.
The video came just days after a US submarine sank an Iranian Navy frigate in the Indian Ocean on March 2. The IRIS Dena was returning after a naval exercise hosted by India.
India has also denied a claim that US naval ships are using its ports amid the war in Iran.
There has recently been a spate of deepfake videos aiming to tarnish India’s official stance on global issues, including a debunked clip on X claiming India’s defense minister had ordered a top navy official to assist in attacking an Iranian ship.
Another deepfake video posted on Thursday shows an Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson warning Tehran that it will not be spared for “any act of aggression toward New Delhi.”
In February, India imposed curbs on artificial intelligence content on social media platforms. The restrictions also slashed the time allowed for illegal content – including non-consensual deepfakes – to be taken down, reducing this to within two-to-three hours from the earlier 36-hour window for social media platforms.