As Rashmika Mandanna’s much-awaited film The Girlfriend hits theatres today, the actress took a moment to connect with her fans and share her thoughts on a disturbing trend — the misuse of artificial intelligence in creating deepfakes using her image and voice. Calling the experience “very scary,” Rashmika voiced concern for the need to introduce stronger safeguards, especially to protect young women online.
“Even I have to double-check sometimes”
Speaking about her personal encounters with AI-generated deepfakes, Rashmika said, “It happened then, it happened before that, and it’s happening even today. There were so many photos and videos of me that were morphed using AI. I was triggered because sometimes when I see something like that, I, of course, know it’s not me — but it’s so convincingly rendered that even I have to double-check. I’ll look at the photos and videos and go, ‘But I didn’t wear a dress like this.’ Sometimes your voice is also tampered with.”The actress added that the constant exposure that comes with being in front of the camera makes her more vulnerable to such misuse.“They can use your photo, voice, and everything to make it into something else entirely. AI is a very scary thing,” she admitted.
“Imagine this happening to an ordinary girl”
Rashmika further elaborated that while she has the visibility to address such incidents, the same cannot be said for ordinary individuals. “AI can be used in great ways too, like using ChatGPT or Grok for learning about particular topics. But imagine this happening to an ordinary girl. If her morphed image is shared in her college, the whole college might think it’s true — even her parents. Who will stand up for that girl? She knows it’s not true, but how can she convince anyone?”She stressed that the emotional toll of such incidents can be severe.“Some rule has to come to stop this. I don’t know, but this might even lead to depression and many other issues among kids. I don’t want it to get there,” she warned.
Rashmika’s past experience with AI misuse
Rashmika had earlier spoken about a viral deepfake video that used her likeness, calling it “extremely scary” and a “great misuse of technology.” The actress has consistently urged for stronger community awareness and legal action to combat identity theft and AI-driven misinformation.After the Delhi Police arrested the creator of the viral deepfake clip, Rashmika expressed her gratitude, saying she hoped the case serves as a reminder that “actions have consequences” and that “victims will be supported.”
The 2023 deepfake controversy
The deepfake video, which went viral in November 2023, had morphed Rashmika’s face onto the body of British-Indian influencer Zara Patel. The incident sparked nationwide outrage and led to a wider conversation about digital safety, with Union IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar also calling for stronger regulation of AI-generated content. Go to Source
