Legendary Indian cricketer and Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar was a victim of deepfakes created by artificial intelligence tools. He broke a fake video claiming that his daughter Sara Tendulkar earns money through an online video game. The former Indian captain demanded quick action to stop the spread of misinformation in a strong tweet on ‘X’ (previously known as Twitter).
The Indian legend posted a video that used artificial intelligence to create a fake representation of him and narrates how a new app helped his daughter make easy money. In the video, Sachin can be seen talking about the merits of this app and also saying that she didn’t know that earning a lot of money was so easy nowadays. Sachin Tendulkar wrote a strong response urging people to report such videos, apps and advertisements in large numbers.
“These videos are fake. It is disturbing to see rampant misuse of technology. Please ask everyone to report videos, ads and apps like these in large numbers. Social media platforms must be alert and responsive to complaints. Quick action on your part is crucial to stop the spread of misinformation and deepfakes,” Sachin wrote.
The most alarming thing about the video is the fact that the audio used matches Sachin Tendulkar’s original voice. If the editing and lip syncing were better, it would have been very difficult for anyone to doubt it. In particular, multiple AI platforms can create an almost exact audio sample of recognized people from different parts of the world. All you have to do is add the right input and the AI will be able to create the exact audio and even images of notable personalities.
Watch: Sachin Tendulkar’s deep fake ad that shows him promoting an app
These videos are fake. It is disturbing to see rampant misuse of technology. Please ask everyone to report videos, ads and apps like these in large numbers.
Social media platforms must be alert and responsive to complaints. Quick action on your part is crucial to stop the… pic.twitter.com/4MwXthxSOM
– Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) January 15, 2024
This is not the first time that the Tendulkar family has fallen victim to online impostors. Last year, Sara Tendulkar took to social media to inform people about creating their fake IDs on social media platform ‘X’. She also confirmed that she did not have an official ID on ‘X’ and urged the platform to take swift action against IDs trying to impersonate her.
“Social media is a wonderful space for all of us to share our joys, sorrows and daily activities. However, it is disconcerting to see the misuse of technology, which detracts from the veracity and authenticity of the Internet. I came across some fake photos of me that are far from reality,” she wrote.
“Some accounts on X (formerly Twitter) were obviously created with the intention of impersonating me and misleading people. I do not have an account on X and I hope that X investigates those accounts and suspends them,” she added while urging X to take action.
A 39-year-old engineer from Mumbai was allegedly arrested in 2018 for impersonating Sara Tendulkar on Twitter. The Tendulkars then filed an official complaint. Deepfakes created by AIs are being misused to a large extent and people, especially renowned personalities, need to be aware of these activities.