Fadnavis cautions about misuse of AI, says he encountered his own fake video

Pune, Aug 20 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said India can withstand the Artificial Intelligence "tsunami", but also flagged the technology's dangers and said he has seen his own fake video used for advertising.

Speaking at the inauguration of Symbiosis Artificial Intelligence Institute (SAII) here, Fadnavis said as home minister, the biggest challenge AI has posed for him is its use for financial frauds.

Somebody's voice or image is created through AI, and it is used to persuade a person to share confidential information, he noted.

"...the other day on social media, I encountered my own video. It was like a normal video where I was giving a speech but the speech was different. The voice was mine and I (his AI avatar) was telling that so and so doctor has developed such and such medicine and I have already used it and you also use it," the CM said.

Every technology is a two-edged sword, but "we should look at the positivity," he said.

India has the capability to withstand the AI "tsunami" just as it did during the dot-com boom, he said.

"There is a huge debate going on amongst people...what is going to happen to the world after we embrace Artificial Intelligence. What is going to happen to the job market? How many of us are going to lose our jobs? How many jobs will become obsolete after the advance of Artificial Intelligence?" he said.

Similar apprehensions about jobs were expressed when the Internet and dot-com age arrived, the chief minister pointed out.

"But India gave the answer and in a way Indians ruled this dot-com boom and they became the pioneers for the world in the dot-com era, and the digital world, which was steered by the Silicon Valley, was also dominated by the Indians," he said.

The country requires the best institutions in AI space, Fadnavis said.

"We need to democratize this revolution of Artificial Intelligence," he said, appreciating the SAII initiative.

AI, quantum computing and semiconductors are "the three pillars which are going to change every sphere of life," he said, adding that technology should be seen as an enabler and not a threat. PTI SPK KRK