‘Safeguarding public trust’: Gujarat HC issues notice on PIL seeking crackdown on AI deepfakes targeting constitutional authorities
The PIL argued that deepfake technology can now mimic voices and facial expressions so accurately that the public cannot distinguish between authentic and manipulated content.
The Gujarat High Court Tuesday issued notice in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking legal reforms and regulatory directions to authorities concerned against the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) in the creation and circulation of fake and manipulated videos and photographs, especially those targeting “constitutional and statutory authorities” on digital platforms.
The PIL, filed by Advocate Vikas Vijay Nair, through Advocate Amit Panchal, highlights how deepfake technology is being used to generate videos that “mimic real voices, facial expressions and body movements with startling accuracy” and seeks urgent judicial intervention with a view to safeguarding “reputation, public trust and social harmony”.
The PIL seeks directions to the state and Central authorities to “strengthen, operationalise, and effectively implement the existing” Information Technology Act, 2000, while also seeking amendments to “AI-generated deepfakes and synthetically generated information targettting constitutional and statutory authorities”.
Apart from the state of Gujarat and the Gujarat Director General of Police, the petition also includes Meta, Google, X, Reddit, and Scribd as respondents through their respective nodal officers. The petition also seeks real-time technical investigation and support to the state police and cyber units in Gujarat, as well as coordination between the state authorities, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s blocking/takedown mechanisms and platform-level enforcement, including prioritised handling of content.
Appearing for the state government, Advocate General Kamal Trivedi informed the court that the issue “deserved serious consideration” and submitted that there has been “terrible and widespread misuse of online content through deepfakes and synthetically generated material, causing extensive and irreparable damage”.
The Advocate General also cited international positions on the issue, noting that several countries have introduced stringent laws to regulate the misuse of artificial intelligence and deepfakes.
The division bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice D N Ray issued notice to the respondents in the case. The HC will hear the matter on March 20.
Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues.
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