AI-Generated Deepfake Videos Target Indian Politician Shashi Tharoor
AI-generated deepfake videos circulated online falsely depicting Indian politician Shashi Tharoor praising Pakistan's role in US-Iran ceasefire talks and criticising Prime Minister Modi. Fact-checkers confirmed the videos were synthetic, using audio from older interviews with AI-generated voice-overs and analysis showing very low authenticity scores.
What happened
Multiple AI-generated deepfake videos of Indian politician Shashi Tharoor began circulating online, particularly after April 8, 2026, when Pakistan allegedly mediated US-Iran ceasefire talks. One video falsely showed Tharoor on India Today praising Pakistan's role in the ceasefire and criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allowing Pakistan to mediate. A second video allegedly showed an Indian news anchor angrily trashing a studio set while discussing Pakistan's role in the talks.
Fact-checkers identified both videos as AI-generated. The video of Tharoor used audio from an original episode of News Today With Rajdeep Sardesai broadcast on December 26, 2025, in which Tharoor had discussed India's foreign policy regarding Bangladesh and US tariffs, not Pakistan or Iran. Analysis using deepfake detection tools found the audio had a low authenticity score of 37 out of 100, indicating synthetic generation. The second video scored 82.7% on AI content detection analysis, with audio scoring 4 out of 100 for authenticity.
Reported impact
Tharoor publicly condemned the deepfake videos as fake news. The videos were widely shared by social media accounts and reportedly shared by Pakistan's presidential spokesperson, amplifying their circulation.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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