The Chief Adviser’s Press Wing has advised users to be cautious, stating that gamblers are creating and disseminating fake videos on social media using artificial intelligence. This appeal was made in a statement posted yesterday, Monday, on the CA Press Wing Facts page on Facebook.

The statement reads, “Gambling ads targeting Bangladeshi users on social media aren’t new, but they’ve taken a disturbing turn—now exploiting the huge popularity of Professor Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh government—gamblers have been producing AI-generated deepfake videos to mimic news reports and fake statements in a bid to attract the public into their sites.”

Deepfake videos are fake videos created using a type of AI technology called deep learning. With this technology, it’s possible to make anyone say anything in a video. For heads of government or highly popular public figures, these videos can be a cause of extreme concern.

Recently, a deepfake video featuring Professor Yunus was circulated on Facebook. The video falsely showed him endorsing a gambling app. Professor Yunus was depicted inviting people to gamble for financial gain.

In the deepfake video, Professor Yunus was shown saying, “We tested our product with a small group of volunteers. Each of them earned over 555,000 BDT in the first week. I’m ready to return your money from my own pocket if you don’t make at least 37,000 BDT in the first week. So far, no one has failed to achieve the result.”

The Chief Adviser’s Press Wing’s fact-checking team confirmed that the video was created using AI. The investigation revealed that the original video footage was taken from Al Jazeera’s ‘Talk to Al Jazeera’ program. The program was recorded at the TV channel’s headquarters in Doha, Qatar, and aired on April 27 this year. In that interview, Dr. Yunus did not say anything about betting or government-owned investment apps.

The Facebook account from which the video was posted was created on June 14, 2022. The statement mentioned that multiple users from Lithuania operate the account. The account has only made four posts, promoting a gambling app.

The Chief Adviser’s Press Wing stated that there are many other fake pieces of information about Dr. Yunus circulating on social media, similar to the deepfake video mentioned as an example.

The statement noted, “In some, he’s falsely shown promoting gaming apps as solutions to Bangladesh’s poverty and unemployment. Others claim the initiative was taken to support student movements or help flood victims.”

The statement urged the public to be more vigilant about such fake videos created with AI.

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