Shillong, Oct 1: East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem has termed a deepfake video linking him with Deputy Chief Minister in charge of Home (Police) Prestone Tynsong as a serious matter, even as he said police would have to decide what action to take over its circulation.
The alleged deepfake, which appears to have been created with AI, surfaced amid the controversy over claims of illegal collection of money from trucks along the highway in East Khasi Hills. The video shows the pair laughing, drinking alcohol and being surrounded by money. The rendering is not to professional standards and it can easily be recognised as being fake.
Asked about the video today, Syiem said the widespread use of artificial intelligence had led to an increase in memes and manipulated videos.
He said people who have evidence of illegal collection should approach the police and register complaints or FIRs rather than resorting to memes and social media posts.
Syiem also sought to distinguish the alleged conduct of individual personnel from the wider police force, pointing out that East Khasi Hills has around 2,500 police personnel. “We may have a few rotten apples, but it doesn’t mean that the rest of the force is like that,” he said.
On whether police would initiate action over the alleged deepfake video, Syiem said, “We will see what we do about it. We will have to take a call on that.”
