Deepfake AI clones of Ravish Kumar spread fabricated news on YouTube
Journalist Ravish Kumar reportedly flagged multiple YouTube channels created using deepfake AI technology that mimic his voice and appearance to broadcast fabricated news. Kumar, a former NDTV editor with over 1.4 crore followers, filed a complaint with YouTube and urged viewers to avoid these unauthorized channels.
What happened
Multiple YouTube channels have been created using AI technology to mimic the voice and image of journalist Ravish Kumar, reportedly reading fabricated news content.
Kumar, a former NDTV editor and Ramon Magsaysay Award winner with over 1.4 crore YouTube followers, flagged the unauthorized deepfake channels in a social media post and stated his team had registered a complaint with YouTube.
Reported impact
The unauthorized deepfake versions of Kumar's likeness and voice are being used to spread what Kumar described as nonsensical or fake news to YouTube viewers.
Governance controls
Kumar's team registered a complaint against the deepfake channels with YouTube and awaited action from the platform.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.