4 days ago
AI Deepfakes Intensify Yogi-Akhilesh Political Battle Before 2027 Polls
Political groups in Uttar Pradesh are using artificial intelligence to make videos about their opponents.
These videos look like songs, jokes, memes or entertainment clips, so they can spread quickly online.
One video shown by Akhilesh Yadav criticized Yogi Adityanath.
Another video circulated by accounts supporting the BJP criticized Akhilesh Yadav.
The BJP said the video about Yogi insulted religious traditions and crossed political limits.
The Samajwadi Party said it was responding to similar attacks against Akhilesh.
It is often difficult to know which party officially made a viral video.
Officials have warned parties to be careful with deepfakes before the 2027 election.
Supporters of Yogi Adityanath and Akhilesh Yadav are using AI-generated videos, songs, satire and memes for political attacks.
Akhilesh Yadav played an AI-generated video targeting Yogi Adityanath at an August 31 press conference.
The video portrayed saffron-clad people allegedly stealing temple donations and showed an AI-generated representation of Yogi smoking a chillum.
A separate AI-generated video circulated by accounts claiming to support the BJP attacked Akhilesh Yadav over law and order, unemployment and alleged examination paper leaks.
The identities of the networks behind the videos remain unclear, despite Election Commission concerns about deepfakes and misleading synthetic content.
- Who
- Supporters and digital networks associated with the Yogi Adityanath and Akhilesh Yadav camps; the Bharatiya Janata Party and Samajwadi Party responded to the controversy.
- What
- AI-generated videos, songs, satire and memes are being used to attack political leaders ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election.
- Where
- Uttar Pradesh, with the latest video shown in Lucknow.
- When
- The activity is occurring ahead of the 2027 Assembly election; the latest controversy followed an August 31 press conference.
- Why
- The content is being used for political criticism and counterattacks, while anonymous networks make it difficult to establish who produced it.
Samajwadi Party’s Position
Bharatiya Janata Party’s Position
Use of AI content
Samajwadi Party’s Position
The Samajwadi Party says its material is a response to AI-generated attacks against Akhilesh Yadav and argues it cannot remain silent if opponents use such content.
Bharatiya Janata Party’s Position
The Bharatiya Janata Party says the video targeting Yogi Adityanath crossed political limits and used AI to make political satire more aggressive.
Religious and personal attacks
Samajwadi Party’s Position
The SP presented the video as political counter-content aimed at criticizing the chief minister.
Bharatiya Janata Party’s Position
The BJP said the portrayal of Yogi Adityanath could offend religious sentiments and insult saints and religious traditions.
Responsibility for viral posts
Samajwadi Party’s Position
The SP has amplified some material from the “Ka Se Kalam” account, but there is no conclusive public evidence that it officially operates the account.
Bharatiya Janata Party’s Position
The “Yaad Rakhega UP” account is believed by political circles to be linked to a BJP-supporting network, but the BJP has not officially claimed ownership or responsibility for its videos.
Key facts
- Election context
- The AI campaign is developing ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election.
- Latest controversy
- Akhilesh Yadav played an AI-generated video targeting Yogi Adityanath at a press conference on August 31.
- Video targeting Yogi
- It depicted saffron-clad people allegedly stealing from a temple donation box and an AI-generated Yogi smoking a chillum.
- Video targeting Akhilesh
- An earlier clip called him “Tipu” and criticized his record on law and order, unemployment and alleged examination paper leaks.
- Accounts under scrutiny
- The X accounts “Yaad Rakhega UP” and “Ka Se Kalam” have shared material targeting the two political camps.
- Party positions
- The BJP accused the Samajwadi Party of insulting saints and religious traditions, while the SP described its video as a response to BJP-linked content.
- Election Commission
- The Election Commission has expressed concern about deepfakes and misleading synthetic content and advised parties to use caution.
Sources
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