AI Deepfakes Fuel Misinformation Crisis During India-Pakistan Conflict

In the midst of the India-Pakistan conflict, a wave of misinformation spread rapidly across social media platforms. ABC News Australia's report highlights the use of AI-generated deepfakes and recycled war footage to create false narratives, causing confusion and fear. Angelica Silva and Libby Hogan detail how these sophisticated fakes, often indistinguishable from real footage, fueled tensions. One example involved a video appearing to show a Pakistani military spokesperson admitting to the loss of fighter jets; however, this was a deepfake, easily identifiable upon closer inspection. Another instance involved multiple outlets sharing a video claiming an attack on Karachi port, which actually showed Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. Nighat Dad, Founder of the Digital Rights Foundation, pointed out the near-perfect lip-sync of the deepfake, noting that only the dialect of Urdu gave it away. The video also showcases a fabricated article from the UK's Daily Telegraph, falsely praising Pakistan's Air Force, which was widely shared. Experts like Raqib Hameed Naik, from the Center for the Study of Organized Hate, emphasized the role of X (formerly Twitter) as a central hub for the spread of this disinformation. Despite the mass circulation of these false narratives, social media platforms were slow to remove them, highlighting the challenge of combating misinformation in the digital age.