After Rashmika Mandanna's DeepFake Video, Katrina Kaif Altered Photo Goes Viral

A day after actress Rashmika Mandanna's deepafake video went viral, now an edited image of Katrina Kaif is circulating online. The image, originally a screen capture from the upcoming movie "Tiger 3," has been altered.

In the original image, which Katrina Kaif shared on her Instagram, she is seen performing an action sequence for "Tiger 3" while wearing a towel. However, the morphed image depicts the actor in the same pose but with a different outfit, rendering the image indecent.

It is worth noting that while Deepfake technology is not entirely new, it is increasingly exploited by scammers and cybercriminals to manipulate images and videos. Many of these manipulated creations are explicit in nature. Deepfake technology, which utilizes powerful graphics cards to alter and reconstruct components of images and videos, is also used to disseminate misinformation. It is important to understand that tampering with images and videos, whether through tools like Photoshop or Deepfake applications, can lead to legal consequences.

The altered picture of Katrina from the "Tiger 3" movie scene raises concerns because Deepfake technology can effortlessly transform images of real individuals, making them appear completely different. In this particular instance, the image portrayed her in attire different from what she actually wore in the film.

Just a few days ago, in Rashmika Mandanna's case, a Deepfake video presented her in a situation she was never involved in, potentially harming her reputation. The video showcased the popular actor entering an elevator. Abhishek Kumar, a journalist and researcher, highlighted this issue and emphasized the necessity for a legal and regulatory framework to address the escalating Deepfake issue in India.

For the unversed, Deepfake technology, it uses advanced artificial intelligence to produce highly realistic yet often deceptive digital content. This technology can manipulate a person's appearance and voice in videos or audio recordings, making it challenging to distinguish between authentic and manipulated content.

In Rashmika Mandanna's video, the original footage featured Zara Patel, a British-Indian influencer, but her face was digitally replaced with that of the actor using Deepfake technology. Such Deepfake content has raised concerns regarding its potential misuse and the urgency for legal measures to combat its proliferation.

Deepfake represents a form of synthetic media in which an individual in an existing image or video is replaced with someone else's likeness through AI. While the practice of falsifying content is not new, Deepfakes leverage advanced techniques from machine learning and artificial intelligence to create or manipulate visual and audio content with a high potential for deception.

Deepfakes can often be identified by unnatural facial expressions or movements, such as excessive or insufficient blinking, or movements that appear overly rigid or jerky. A useful indicator in distinguishing real from fake videos is the eyes, which tend to be blurry or unfocused in Deepfakes, with eyes not matching the person's head movements.