‘Maliciously doctored’: Union Minister Piyush Goyal…

In June 2024, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal filed a formal police complaint regarding an AI-generated video that falsely attributed inflammatory remarks to him. The doctored footage, which targeted the minister by manipulating his public image, prompted immediate legal action and an official FIR (No. 123/26) at the Chanakyapuri Police Station.

What happened

The incident involved the malicious use of artificial intelligence to alter legitimate footage of the minister. The source material originated from an interaction between Goyal and reporters outside Parliament, where he had defended the government's position regarding the NEET examination protests and criticized Opposition members for disrupting parliamentary proceedings.

Bad actors used AI synthesis to manipulate this footage, creating a deepfake video that falsely depicted the minister making threatening comments toward students participating in nationwide protests. The manipulated clip gained traction on social media before it was identified as misinformation. The Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check unit flagged the content on Friday evening, confirming that the video was an AI-generated fabrication. Following the minister's complaint and intervention by authorities, numerous social media links hosting the doctored video were removed. Goyal has stated that strict legal action will be pursued against those responsible for creating, circulating, or amplifying the misinformation, while urging citizens to rely exclusively on verified sources for information.