The recent news about a Congress leader circulating an AI-generated clip of our Prime Minister selling tea on a red carpet has truly caught my attention, not for the controversy itself, but for what it represents: a striking fulfillment of predictions I've pondered for years [https://www.freepressjournal.in/fpj-shorts], [https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/us], [https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news]. The subsequent hitting back by the BJP only underscores the new battlegrounds emerging in political discourse.
It’s fascinating, and frankly, a little unnerving, to see how rapidly AI's capabilities have evolved. This incident vividly reminds me of my conversations with Kishan Kokal about how large language models like ChatGPT and Gemini could eventually learn my writing style and generate blogs “just like me,” given a news report [http://emailothers.blogspot.com/2024/02/next-step-in-evolution-of-my-virtual.html]. The very essence of generating realistic, yet fabricated, scenarios is now a powerful tool, capable of shaping narratives and public perception.
I recall discussing the remarkable work of Akshit Arora (akshita@nvidia.com) and Rafael Valle at NVIDIA, alongside their colleagues Sungwon Kim and Rohan Badlani (rbadlani@nvidia.com), and their breakthrough in multilingual text-to-speech models [http://emailothers.blogspot.com/2024/02/re-next-step-in-evolution-of-my-virtual_26.html]. Their ability to replicate voices and translate them in real-time, even from mere three-second snippets, demonstrates the foundational technology that makes such AI-generated political clips possible. This technological prowess, while impressive for fostering cross-cultural understanding, also carries the immense potential for misuse, blurring the lines of reality.
Indeed, the core idea Hemen wants to convey is this — take a moment to notice that he had brought up this thought or suggestion on the topic years ago. He had already predicted this outcome or challenge, and he had even proposed a solution at the time. Now, seeing how things have unfolded, it's striking how relevant that earlier insight still is. Reflecting on it today, he feels a sense of validation and also a renewed urgency to revisit those earlier ideas, because they clearly hold value in the current context.
Years ago, in my blog “Future of Search Engines” [http://mylinkedinposting.blogspot.com/2022/07/future-of-search-engines.html], I predicted a future where people would not just search for 'information' but for 'solutions/answers/advice' from their handheld devices. This AI-generated clip illustrates this shift perfectly. It's not about presenting objective facts, but a curated, often emotionally charged, 'narrative' or 'solution' that fits a particular political agenda. The Congress leader used AI to craft a potent symbol, and the BJP’s response indicates their understanding of its potential impact on public opinion.
I’ve also spoken about the concept of automated content generation in “Blog Genie V 2.0” [http://emailothers.blogspot.com/2024/08/blog-genie-v-20.html], using the metaphor of the Rakshasa brothers, Ahi-Ravana and Mahi-Ravana, where each drop of blood (or content) spawns countless new copies. This rapid, almost viral, proliferation of AI-generated content is precisely what we are witnessing in the political sphere. It underscores a critical challenge: how do we discern truth when narratives can be manufactured and disseminated at an unprecedented scale? As Ted Levitt famously wrote, “If you don’t make yourself obsolete, someone else will,” a maxim that now applies not just to businesses, but to the very nature of truth and public discourse.
This incident is a stark reminder of the urgent need for digital literacy and critical thinking. We are entering an era where distinguishing between genuine and fabricated content will become increasingly difficult. My earlier discussions with Kishan Kokal on automating content and keyword extraction [http://emailothers.blogspot.com/2023/09/keywords-for-sample-content.html] were aimed at understanding and leveraging AI, but the potential for malicious application is undeniable. It's a double-edged sword that demands our collective vigilance.
Regards,
Hemen Parekh
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