Platforms have almost doubled-tripled deepfake takedowns: Vaishnaw

Ashwini Vaishnaw flags deepfakes as a growing threat, says social media platforms are ramping up takedowns amid surge in AI-generated content

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday highlighted rising concerns over AI-generated deepfakes, and noted that social media platforms, too, have scaled up efforts on deepfake takedowns.

The minister termed deepfakes as a new menace and a threat to society.

"A lot of content has started coming in the nature of deepfakes. Because of whatever changes have happened in the AI world, a huge quantity of deepfakes have started coming in the social media... the entire world, and the social media platforms themselves have significantly ramped up their efforts at removing the deepfakes," Vaishnaw, who is the minister for IT as well as Information and Broadcasting, told reporters.

 

The platforms themselves have almost doubled or tripled their own takedowns of deepfake content, he added.

"It's a new menace, new threat, which is coming for the society," he said, adding that countering it effectively is very important for society, for every individual, and institution.