EAM S Jaishankar Flags Potential Risks From New Technologies Such As AI & Deepfake

Jaishankar warned against risks that new tech like AI and deepfakes pose to national security. He also stated that attempts of foreign interference through the cyber domain are also increasing.

S Jaishankar emphasised that it is important for the average person to understand how the world is changing because it is an era of AI and deepfakes.

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deepfakes has generated a lot of attention in this country. The wrong use of AI and deepfakes also raised a number of concerns such as Rashmika Mandana's deepfakes or morphed videos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi singing songs that have been going viral on Instagram for quite some time. These instances obviously create a sense of worry or fear in the minds of people. Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday warned against risks that new technologies like AI and deepfakes pose to national security. He also highlighted that attempts of foreign interference through the cyber domain are also on the rise.

In an interactive session at a think tank, he said that there is a need to guard against threats originating from the cyber domain. He said, "When we think of security, it is not just the defence of the borders, it is not countering terrorism alone.... But there is the daily routine which is so susceptible today to manipulation and this is growing. I would say frankly, in many ways, today foreign interference in this country is growing. It is important for the average person to understand how the world is changing because it is an era of AI (artificial intelligence) and deepfakes."

Jaishankar added, "They will not come out of thin air. They are today at a certain level. There was a whole culture and a process which has allowed it to happen."

He was then asked whether India is gradually becoming a surveillance state as the map of security threats to the ordinary Indian has increased exponentially. The Union Minister responded by saying, "It is not a question of being paranoid. I mean, there are real problems out there. It is not again a question of surveillance. There is a certain responsibility that the state has. Let us not confuse anarchy and irresponsibility with freedom."