Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Claim
Separate videos show Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murty and Google CEO Sundar Pichai endorsing their investment platforms.
Fact
Newschecker noticed that the lip movements of both Murty and Pichai seemed unnatural and did not completely match their speech, raising our doubts on whether the videos were AI-manipulated.
Video 1
Newschecker ran a reverse image search, which led us to this Youtube video, uploaded by Jamnabai Narsee School’s on February 27, 2017. At no point in the speech did Murty endorse any investment platform.
We ran the video past TrueMedia, an AI content detection tool, which found “substantial evidence of manipulation”.
“The transcript reads like a classic example of a scam or fraudulent scheme, often found in spam emails or dubious online advertisements. The language is overly promotional and manipulative, promising unrealistic financial gains with little to no effort. It uses common scam tactics such as urgency (“you can only watch this video once”) and exclusivity (“this page is only accessible to 100 people”). The mention of well-known names like Sudha Murthy and Manmohan Singh is likely an attempt to lend credibility, but the context and content are inconsistent and implausible. The overall tone and style are not typical of genuine spoken audio but rather of a scripted piece designed to deceive,” read the tool’s report.
We also ran the audio past Hive Moderation, which stated that the audio is 99.8% likely to be AI-generated.
Video 2
Newschecker ran a reverse image search, which led us to this Youtube video, uploaded by The Print on July 30, 2020, where he spoke before delivering his opening statement before the US House Judiciary Committee. At no point in the speech did Pichai endorse any investment platform.
We ran the video past TrueMedia, an AI content detection tool, which found “substantial evidence of manipulation”.
“The transcript presents a promotional announcement about a new platform called Google Invest, purportedly introduced by Sundar Pichai. The language used is overly promotional and lacks the formal tone typically associated with official announcements from major corporations like Google. Additionally, the promise of guaranteed profits with a specific minimum investment amount is characteristic of scams or fraudulent schemes rather than legitimate business ventures. The lack of specific details about the platform and the emphasis on urgency and immediate registration further suggest that this is not a genuine announcement from Google,” read the tool’s report.
We also ran the audio past Hive Moderation, which stated that the audio is 99.8% likely to be AI-generated.
Also Read: Deepfake Video Of Nirmala Sitharaman and Shaktikanta Das Promoting Investment Scheme Goes Viral
Result: Altered Media
Source
TrueMedia AI detection tool
Hive Moderation tool
Youtube video, Jamnabai Narsee School, February 27, 2017
Youtube video, The Print, July 30, 2020
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Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
