TLDR: Amidst the 50 percent tariffs imposed by former US President Donald Trump on Indian businesses, YouTube content creators are leveraging AI and deepfake technology to generate realistic videos of global figures praising India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. These monetized synthetic media pieces are going viral, raising concerns about “AI slop” and disinformation, prompting YouTube to remove 20 channels.
The recent imposition of a 50 percent tariff by former United States President Donald Trump on Indian businesses, while impacting the economy, has inadvertently created a lucrative opportunity for content creators on YouTube. These creators are capitalizing on the situation by producing highly realistic video and audio clips of prominent world leaders and international public figures using advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deepfake technology.
These AI-generated creations often feature figures such as former US President Barack Obama, tech mogul Elon Musk, British broadcaster Piers Morgan, and motivational speaker Mel Robbins, among others. The content typically includes these personalities offering opinions on the tariff war, praising India, and rallying support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. These videos, often driven by large-language-model (LLM) generated scripts, are rapidly gaining traction across Indian social media platforms, generating significant ad revenue for their creators on YouTube.
Fact-checkers in India have observed a notable surge in such deepfake videos and AI voice clones over the past two months. These synthetic media pieces frequently impersonate international public figures, portraying them as endorsing Modi’s statesmanship and highlighting India’s diplomatic influence on the global stage. Investigations revealed that many of these AI voice-clone-based videos are monetized, with advertisements playing before their content.
While some channels featuring this content also included pro-Islam material, the overarching trend suggests that financial gain through ad revenue, rather than specific religious or political ideologies, is the primary motivator. Sam Gregory, a human rights activist and executive director at Witness, a civic-tech organization, commented on this phenomenon. “While election-based synthetic media is increasing, it is alongside increasing use in AI slop. AI slop is often inflammatory and sensationalist to drive monetisation, with the propaganda or disinformation purposes potentially secondary,” Gregory stated.
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In response to these findings, YouTube has taken action, removing 20 channels after being alerted to the issue. The platform reiterated its policies, which prohibit spam and scams, indicating a commitment to combating the spread of deceptive AI-generated content.
