Veteran lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar has become the latest public figure to be targeted by artificial intelligence-driven misinformation, with an AI-generated video of him wearing a skull cap and saying he has 'turned to God' doing the rounds on the internet.
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 a post on X, Akhtar 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 fake video surfaced shortly after Akhtar participated in a public debate on the existence of God against Islamic scholar Mufti Shamali Nadwi.
The incident adds Akhtar to a growing list of celebrities who have been targeted through deepfake videos, morphed images and fabricated audio clips. In 2024, AI videos of Aamir Khan and Ranveer Singh went viral where they were seen advising people to vote against Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha elections.
In 2023, a deepfake video of Rashmika Mandanna went viral, reacting to which Amitabh Bachchan said there was a need for strong legal action in such cases. Similarly, in 2024, an AI-generated photo of Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh with their newborn daughter went viral.
In recent months, several celebrities, including Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Akshay Kumar, Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Kumar Sanu, have sought injunctions against misuse of their identity online, mostly AI-generated.