Veteran screenwriter and lyricist condemns the misuse of technology and warned of legal action
NEW DELHI — Veteran screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar has voiced his outrage over a fake AI-generated video falsely claiming that he has “turned to God.”
Akhtar, who claims to be an atheist, has categorically denied making any such statement.
Dismissing the video as “rubbish”, Akhtar condemned the misuse of technology and warned of legal action. He said the clip was misleading and damaging to his reputation and credibility, and that he was considering approaching the cyber police to identify those responsible.
In post on X, formerly Twitter, Javed Akhtar on Friday wrote: “A fake video is in circulation showing my fake computer-generated picture with a topi on my head, claiming that ultimately I have turned to God. It is rubbish. I am seriously considering to report this to the cyber police and ultimately drag the person responsible for this fake news, and those who forward it, to court for damaging my reputation and credibility”.
The image shows Javed Akhtar with Islamic attire. Sharing the image, a user wrote, “Finally Javed Akhtar Accepted Islam”.
A couple of weeks ago, Javed Akhtar and Islamic scholar Mufti Shamail Nadwi engaged in a public debate in New Delhi titled ‘Does God Exist?’ at the Constitution Club of India. The AI generated image surfaced on social media after the discussion.
This is not the first time such AI-generated content of celebrities has surfaced on the internet. Earlier, morphed videos and pictures of actors, including Rashmika Mandanna, Kangana Ranaut, Katrina Kaif, and Akshay Kumar, among others, have also surfaced on the internet.
The latest incident has once again highlighted growing concerns over the misuse of artificial intelligence, especially increasing difficulty in distinguishing between authentic and manipulated content online.
